Recommend some Good Foreign Horror Films? (1 Viewer)

[Larry Talbot]

In another thead I asked for recommendations about good ghost stories and I got a lot of excellent suggestions. Two of the movies I'd never heard of - Waikan and The Eye - were Japanese, and I realize I may be neglecting foreign horror/supernatural flicks. So do you have any recommendations along those lines? I'm looking for intelligent, spooky, supernatural stuff (like Ringu) more than straight out gore (although some gore is fine - I loved Tell Me Something.) Any foreign horror films you might recommend?

 

[Lew Crippen]

·The Vanishing: this is truly satisfying Dutch/French film directed by George Sluizer and not to be confused with a later U.S. remake.
·Kwaidan: four short vignettes, not a single film. They are all quite stylized, some more so than others. Based on Japanese folk stories and well told by Masaki Kobayashi.
·Blood for Dracula and Flesh for Frankenstein, both by Paul Morrissey and although both are technically U.S. films both were made entirely in Italy. These are also stylized films.
·Dead Ringers: assuming that you consider Canada a foreign country. You can add a good many of David Cronenberg’s other films to the list. It sort of depends on your definition of foreign.
·Nosferatu: the classic silent vampire film of 1922 by F.W. Marnau.
·Vampyr: another silent classic, this one by Carl Dreyer.
·Drácula: this time watch the Spanish version with Carlos Villarías and Lupita Tovar. Made at the same time (they shot at night), using the same sets as the Bella Lugosi version, this is a bit longer and has the more satisfying ending.

This ought to get you started.

 

[Rex Bachmann]

Larry Talbot wrote (post #1):

Every horror fan should see the works of the late Italian director, Mario Bava

http://us.imdb.com/name/nm0000878/, particularly these:

Black Sunday (1960)
Black Sabbath (1963)
Planet of the Vampires (1965)
Baron Blood (1972)
Lisa and the Devil (1972)/The House of Exorcism (1975) (alternate, post-Exorcist version)

If you did want to venture viewing a pioneering "gore" flick, which is, nevertheless, highly regarded, that would be Georges Franju's visceral Les Yeux sans Visage (a.k.a., The Eyes without a Face) (1960) (Get your barf-bags ready!) This has been rumored to be on the way from the Criterion Collection.

 

[Simon Massey]

Two recent Spanish horror films I would recommend.

The Devils Backbone which is out on R1 DVD (great picture and sound). The director also did another horror film called Cronos which I think is being released soon as well.

The Nameless, which is out in Japan and in Spain. Both versions carry English subtitles.

 

[Scott Leopold]

One of my favorite foreign horror films is Tales of the Unusual from Japan. Only one of the 4 vignettes really qualifies as horror, the rest are more along the lines of a Twilight Zone episode. Still, it's a great, entertaining movie. I picked it up on an R3 DVD, and have watched it several times.

 

[Sean Campbell]

I'll second Kwaidan. While I wouldn't consider it chilling, it's still an excellent movie and the Criterion DVD looks fantastic.
I'd also suggest Onibaba, which is another spooky Japanese flick. An English subtitled region 2 edition is available from Japan.

 

[Eric Howell]

Two more low on the gore Japanese recommendations for yahs.

Kairo(aka Pulse)(2001)(dir. Kiyoshi Kurosawa)
Ju-on: The Grudge (2003)(directed by Takashi Shimizu)
These are both available via import DVD.

 

[JayF]

Already mentioned, but I would highly recommend Kwaidan and Devil's Backbone.

 

[Peter M Fitzgerald]

I second the motion on the following:

BLACK SUNDAY
BLACK SABBATH
BARON BLOOD
LISA & THE DEVIL
EYES WITHOUT A FACE
KWAIDAN
NOSFERATU (either the 1922 or 1979 versions, both are fine)

Here are some further titles I'd recommend:

ANATOMY (2000-German)
KILL, BABY, KILL (1966-Italian, another from Mario Bava)
CASTLE OF BLOOD (1964-Italian)
THE LONG HAIR OF DEATH (1964-Italian)
THE VIRGIN OF NUREMBERG (1963-Italian)
TOMBS OF THE BLIND DEAD (1973-Spanish)
A CHINESE GHOST STORY (1987-Hong Kong)
MR. VAMPIRE (1986-Hong Kong)
YOKAI MONSTERS: ALONG WITH GHOST (1969-Japanese)
GHOST ACTRESS (1996-Japanese, aka "DON'T LOOK UP")
SPIRAL (2000-Japanese, aka "UZUMAKI")
VIY, OR SPIRIT OF EVIL (1967-Russian)

 

[Stephen R]

If you don't have a weak stomach, Takashi Miike's Audition.

Also, I second recommendations for Franju's Eyes Without a Face and Kiyoshi's Kairo. I'd also recommend a couple other another Kiyoshi Kurosawa movies, Cure and Seance.

 

[BarryS]

The Eye is coming to DVD very soon. It's actually from Hong Kong, rather than Japan. Very creepy film and worth checking out for those interested in Asian horror flicks.

 

[Richard Hardbattle]

Most of the above are great recommendations, but can I also sugest:

Deep Red
Suspiria
Tenebrae
Opera
(all Italian Argento masterpieces)

Also - If you liked "The Nameless" - the directors new movie called "The Darkness" is one of the best foreign genre movies of recent years...... and although filmed in Spain, the original cast all speak English.

Can't really go wrong with any of these.


Rich

 

[Brook K]

I thought The Eye was very weak on the horror and average at best. I'd agree on Lew's rec's, as well as most of the Bava picks, Dario Argento, and Kiyoshi Kurosawa, especially Cure which I think is the best horror movie since The Shining.

Others:
The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (another silent German classic)
Twitch of the Death Nerve (Mario Bava film not mentioned above)
The Bird With the Crystal Plummage (Dario Argento not mentioned)

Films by Lucio Fulci (a hit and miss director for me, some of his stuff I REALLY like, and some is unwatchable.)

Zombie
The House By The Cemetary (my favorite)
New York Ripper
Don't Torture A Duckling

David Cronenberg

Shivers (my favorite)
Rabid
The Brood
Scanners

Michael Powell

Peeping Tom

 

[Steve Christou]

Nosferatu (1922)

Black Sunday (1960)

Suspiria (1977)

Zombie Flesh Eaters (1979)

A Chinese Ghost Story (1987)



ps. Larry Talbot, an apt name for a horror film fan.

 

[Ralph Jenkins]

If you enjoyed Ring, then other films by Hideo Nakata might be a good choice. Dark Water (being released in the UK in late October) is another ghost story similar to Ring; in it, a divorcing mom moves into an old apartment building with her daughter, where strange events begin to occur (telling more would be a spoiler). The movie's epilogue is weak, but up until that point, I consider it to be nearly on par with Ring. Nakata's Chaos is also good, but it's not really a horror film.

Juon (The Grudge) is also worth a look. To date, this series consists of two made-for-TV movies and two theatrical features. Beware the second made-for-TV movie, which only has a running time of approx. 70 minutes and includes about 30 mins. of recycled footage from the first part. The theatrical features have a slicker, more professional look about them (i.e, they benefited from a higher budget) but the first made-for-TV movie actually has some of the best shocks. The story (if you can call it that) is about two ghosts (a little boy and his mother) who haunt a house in Japan, cursing any new tenants who move in. All of the films in this series are very episodic and non-linear.

 

[Justin_S]

The following foreign classics all get VERY high recommendation from me:

ASIAN

Kairo
Uzumaki
Evil Dead Trap
Audition
Onibaba
Cure
The Happiness of the Katakuris
Phone
Dark Water
The Ring Virus
The Untold Story
The Eye
Ju-On

Those are the very best I've seen, but in all honesty, any Asian horror would be good to seek out, as they are making the absolute best horror being made today!

EUROHORROR

Suspiria
The Wicker Man
Dellamorte Dellamore (aka Cemetery Man)
Lisa and the Devil
The Vanishing
Man Bites Dog
The Nameless (aka Los Sin Nombre)
Tenebre
Phenomena
Opera
The Stendhal Syndrome
City of the Living Dead
New York Ripper
Lizard in a Woman's Skin
Black Sabbath
Dog Soldiers
Thesis
Demons
The Whip and the Body

CANADIAN

EVERY David Cronenberg film
Black Christmas
Ginger Snaps

I adore foreign horror, so this is hardly every one of them that I love, but these are among the very best.

 

[Larry Talbot]

I'm so happy with the many suggestions this thread has recieved! I'll have my hands full trying to track them all down...Some titles aren't listed at Netflix, so I'll try the local independent rental shops (Portland area.) Thanks again, everyone!

 

[RyanPC]

Lucio Fulci -

Zombie
City of the Living Dead (aka The Gates of Hell)
The Beyond
New York Ripper
House By the Cemetery

Dario Argento -

Deep Red
Tenebre
Suspiria
Phenomena
Opera
Sleepless

Mario Bava -

Blood and Black Lace
Hatchet for the Honeymoon
Twitch of the Death Nerve (aka Bay of Blood)
Shock

Umberto Lenzi -

Cannibal Ferox
Nightmare City
Eaten Alive

Others -

Tombs of the Blind Dead
Cannibal Apocalypse
The Living Dead Girl
The Demoniacs
Exorcism
Let Sleeping Corpses Lie
House on the Edge of the Park
Cannibal Holocaust
Jungle Holocaust
Macabre
A Blade in the Dark
Demons
Demons 2
Le Locataire (The Tenant)