That's cause there haven't been any good ones for a while.
Bingo my good man. I just went through roughly 600 of IMDB's horror films rated at least 6.5/10 and higher. Couldn't find more than a handful that:
a) Looked interesting (i.e. weren't just hack/chop/kill Saw type movies that don't interest me in the least.)
b) I hadn't seen.
The entire horror genre and movies in general have been on a slide for a very long time, so it's not surprising.
A guy I knew in Vancouver owned a video store that pretty much stocked obscure, non mainstream and independent films. He always said that the Italian horror film scene was incredibly good, so I might have to redirect my search.
Also hoping that dirtywhore Mark will chime in here with any gems he's seen since his last contributions to this thread.
Just remembered I should add that:
Masters of Horror http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0448190/
was an incredible gem to find. Despite being a tv series, some of the episodes scared the shit out of me. Wife doesn't even want to get into season two with me. Will...............not..............watch them!
Fear Itself is one I just found on the IMDB site while copying the link to the above (MOH). Read the reviews and it appears comparable to Masters of Horror. 13 hour long episodes. Some individual episodes reviewed unfavourably.
I've been a Horror geek since I was a teenybopper and have close to 1,000 of them on DVD so here are some that I recommend:
The very early classics:
The Fall Of The House Of Usher (1928). Absolutely dripping with atmosphere and stunning cinemaphotography for it's day.
Nosferatu (1922). The first Dracula made for the screen. Bram Stoker's widow put a stop to it's release and all prints were ordered destroyed but thankfully some survived. This is not your Bela Lugosi suave count. This is a rat-like being with no charm whatsoever.
Frankenstein (1931). The movie that brought us Boris Karloff. A classic.
Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1932). Frederic March won an Oscar for his portrayal of the gentle doctor and his alter ego Mr. Hyde. As Mr. Hyde, March is a detestable beast that brings out disgust in all who watch him. This was made in pre-code Hollywood days so some of it pretty risque for it's time.
The Old Dark House (1932). Some stranded traveler's forced to take sanctuary in a creepy old house full of what seem like normal individuals. Ernest Thesiger, Boris Karloff and Gloria Stuart (<-old lady in Titanic)
Vampyr (1932). No "name" actors in this but it's a movie full of fascinating images, atmosphere galore and dream-like quality.
The Bride Of Frankenstein (1935). The sequel which many movie buffs consider superior to the first movie. I agree.
The Body Snatcher (1945). Not horror per say but Boris Karloff is absolutely amazing in this movie as a grave robber who holds an edge on the doctor he works for. Karloff torments him all movie long.
name only recommendations: The Raven, The Wolf Man, Hangover Square, Mad Love, M
The 50's monster, big bug sci-fi craze
Creature From The Black Lagoon (1954). A new take on beauty and the beast or king kong. A group of scientists out looking for the missing link between man and fish are stalked by on the most original looking monsters in cinema history. I was lucky enough to meet the "Gillman" before he passed away a couple of years ago. I love being able to say that I met a Universal Monster :-)
Invasion Of The Body Snatchers (1956). The "red scare" disguised as an alien invaders movie. This is one of the most well known science fiction movies and for good reason. Kevin McCarthy watches as his normal life of friends and lovers is taken over by the "pod people".
name only recommendations: The Fly, War Of The Worlds, Earth Vs. The Flying Saucers, The Monolith Monsters, The Blob
(50s and 60s. Black and white and horror in colour!!
Nobody in this era did colour horror better than the British with their film studio known as Hammer. Hammer horror movies are wonderful period gothic films layered with atmosphere.
Horror Of Dracula (1958). starring Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing, two of my favourites of all time. This is Dracula in colour and closer to Stoker's vision of the man up to this point.
The Curse Of Frankenstein. (1957) Again, following in Universal's footsteps by tackling the classic monsters but updating them in colour and more daring content. These were considered vile films in it's day for depicting sex and gore in colour and right in front of your eyes.
The Curse Of The Werewolf (1961). A young Oliver Reed inflicted with the man to beast disease.
Gojira (1954). The very first Godzilla film. Not the martial expert dinosaur of later films. The movie is a total lesson of what atom bomb war did to that part of the world.
House Of Wax (1953). Vincent Price in one his first (if not, his very first) horror villain role. Vincent gone mad, kills and then displays his victims as wax figures. Trivia: Originally filmed in 3-D by a director who only had sight in one eye and was obviously not able to enjoy his film the way everyone else did.
The House Of Usher (1960). Roger Corman directs Vincent Price in a story by Poe. Amazing gothic movie.
Night Of The Living Dead (1968). A small band of friends and co-workers and investors pony up a paltry $114,000 and make one of classics of horror and zombie cinema.
name only recommendations: The Haunting, The Fly, I Walked With A Zombie, The Cat People, Psycho, The Birds, Carnival Of Souls
The 1970s
Let's Scare Jessica To Death (1976). A low key movie about some very creepy people and one mentally disturbed Jessica. Her mind is so fragile and there are many things here about to put her over the edge. I love the title.
Suspiria (1977). Italian horror maestro Dario Argento at his best IMO. A dizzying horror movie in livid colours, full of nightmarish qualities and with a spooky hard hitting score.
Invasion Of The Body Snatchers (1978). One of the movies that horrified me beyond belief as a child. It still manages to unnerve me today. Comes with one of the best final frames in movie history.
Phantasm (1978). Original original original. Follow Reggie and Mike as they battle The Tallman, his dwarf minions and flying spheres as he slowly takes over the
dead and makes him his slave. Fantastic score, creepy villain and fun all the way around.
Zombi 2 aka Zombie (1979). the other well known Italian Lucio Fulci directs this gore-fest about zombies taking over an island. This isn't for the squeemish but a great film to watch if you are sick and tired of CGI blood and monsters. A very dread inducing film and score.
name only recommendations: Alien. The Exorcist, Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Jaws, The Omen, Halloween, Shock Waves, Dawn Of The Dead, Piranha, The Howling, Daughters Of Darkness
The 1980's
The Changeling (1980). The scariest film I have ever seen and it's a Canadian film with George C. Scott. GCS moves into a haunted house and we are then scared to death for 1.5 hours. (EDIT: I just rewatched this for the first time since I was a teenager and it didn't have the same effect. While still good, it's not the scariest I have seen now)
The Fog (1980). One of John Carpenter's best. Thick atmospehere (literally) a young Jamie Lee Curtis is terrorized by the fog and what is lurking in it.
An American Werewolf In London (1981). Must be seen! Scary with a little bit of black comedy thrown in and the greatest on screen practical effects (non CGI) werewolf transformation in motion picture history.
The Thing (1982). released the same year as E.T. and died a dismal death at the box office. This isn't a pleasant alien wanting to go home! A band of arctic scientists are isolated, paranoid and killed off by "the thing". I cannot recommend this enough. Kurt Russel is great in this one.
Scarecrows (1988). creepy looking Scarecrows come to life and stalk a bunch of bank robbers looking for their loot.
Return Of The Living Dead (1987). one of the most successful comedy/horror films. They got it right with this one. Able to make you laugh, able to revolt you and able to instill dread. This one should not be missed.
other name only recommendations: The Burning, Slumber Party Massacre, Near Dark, The Blob, Videodrome, Fright Night, Prince Of Darkness, Phantasm II, Cronos, Re-Animator, Basket Case, The Shining, Poltergeist 1&2, Hellraiser, Cujo, Friday The 13th(s), Nightmre On Elm Street(s), The Hitcher,
Post 1990
I'm not real big on anything made after 1990 but there are definitely some worth watching.
Candyman (1990). This managed to scare all 2,000 of us at the world premier. The director and the two leads Virginia Madsen and Tony Todd were in attendance and were very pleased by the reaction :-).
Tremors (1990). A hilarious and charming monster movie with Fred Ward and Kevin Bacon. A Must see. Handymen Earl and Val stuck in a small isolated desert town being attacked by monsters that live under the ground.
Trick 'r Treat (2007). A movie in the same vein of Crash (2006) where all the segments tie together. Some wonderful visuals, some fright, some comedy and some twists.
The Descent (2006). Claustrophobic? Avoid this one at all costs then! A group of female spelunkers get lost in the underground caves and are stalked by creatures who have never seen the light of day. Be sure to get the "original uncut". The other one has the happy ending version on it.
28 Days Later (2002). A great take on later day zombies. Very tense IMO.
Inside (2007). Pretty gory film but also fairly tense story about a pregnant woman, home alone and being harassed by a prowler.
other name only recommendations: I Sell The Dead, The Ring, Slither, Storm Of The Century, Severance, Black Sheep, Undead Or Alive
One of the things that I love about the genre movies is that there are conventions and expos held where we the fans can meet the filmmakers and the actors. I've met a ton of genre personalities and it always ads the enjoyment of watching these films because I can bring up the memory of the time that I had a handshake, picture and a conversation with the people on and behind the screens of these great and no so great films.
Masters of Horror Masters of Horror (TV Series 2005) - IMDb
was an incredible gem to find. Despite being a tv series, some of the episodes scared the shit out of me. Wife doesn't even want to get into season two with me. Will...............not..............watch them!
there were some really good episodes in this series. I thought that Stuart Gordon's "The Black Cat" was the best of the bunch. Carpenter's "Cigarette Burns" was really cool and The Washingtonians was fantastic.
You gotta look at it in retrospect with the understanding that... (spoilers)
We are the ancient ones, the viewers. The characters live and die on our whims. It tries, quite ambitiously to explain EVERY horror movie that this generation has seen. It pokes at the archetypes, and is very self aware. Quite a trip.
Sadly, I've not seen much of late. Tucker and Dale vs. Evil isn't a horror, but it's a great spoof and highly comedic entertainment. I saw "The Chernobyl Diaries", and it's a not great take on the "found footage" genre. A thriller I saw (my def'n of horror vs. thriller is thriller has no supernatural element) was "Die Welle" or "The Wave". Again, subtitle, but fantastic. It's on the american version of Netflix, not sure about Canadian version.
Older ones that I've seen and may have suggested? The Orphanage (Spanish), I want to see Insidious, and I kinda liked the "Paranormal Activities" so whatever # they're up to now I'll watch soon I think.
Tis not the season anymore but I must say I saw the Korean psycho/thriller/slasher film "I Saw The Devil" last night. It is really quite great if you can stand subtitles.
Comments
Got a 7/10 Steve! Worth looking in to for sure. I have no problems with subtitles.
That's cause there haven't been any good ones for a while.
Bingo my good man. I just went through roughly 600 of IMDB's horror films rated at least 6.5/10 and higher. Couldn't find more than a handful that:
a) Looked interesting (i.e. weren't just hack/chop/kill Saw type movies that don't interest me in the least.)
b) I hadn't seen.
The entire horror genre and movies in general have been on a slide for a very long time, so it's not surprising.
A guy I knew in Vancouver owned a video store that pretty much stocked obscure, non mainstream and independent films. He always said that the Italian horror film scene was incredibly good, so I might have to redirect my search.
Also hoping that dirtywhore Mark will chime in here with any gems he's seen since his last contributions to this thread.
Just remembered I should add that:
Masters of Horror
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0448190/
was an incredible gem to find. Despite being a tv series, some of the episodes scared the shit out of me. Wife doesn't even want to get into season two with me. Will...............not..............watch them!
Fear Itself is one I just found on the IMDB site while copying the link to the above (MOH). Read the reviews and it appears comparable to Masters of Horror. 13 hour long episodes. Some individual episodes reviewed unfavourably.
The very early classics:
The Fall Of The House Of Usher (1928). Absolutely dripping with atmosphere and stunning cinemaphotography for it's day.
Nosferatu (1922). The first Dracula made for the screen. Bram Stoker's widow put a stop to it's release and all prints were ordered destroyed but thankfully some survived. This is not your Bela Lugosi suave count. This is a rat-like being with no charm whatsoever.
Frankenstein (1931). The movie that brought us Boris Karloff. A classic.
Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1932). Frederic March won an Oscar for his portrayal of the gentle doctor and his alter ego Mr. Hyde. As Mr. Hyde, March is a detestable beast that brings out disgust in all who watch him. This was made in pre-code Hollywood days so some of it pretty risque for it's time.
The Old Dark House (1932). Some stranded traveler's forced to take sanctuary in a creepy old house full of what seem like normal individuals. Ernest Thesiger, Boris Karloff and Gloria Stuart (<-old lady in Titanic)
Vampyr (1932). No "name" actors in this but it's a movie full of fascinating images, atmosphere galore and dream-like quality.
The Bride Of Frankenstein (1935). The sequel which many movie buffs consider superior to the first movie. I agree.
The Body Snatcher (1945). Not horror per say but Boris Karloff is absolutely amazing in this movie as a grave robber who holds an edge on the doctor he works for. Karloff torments him all movie long.
name only recommendations: The Raven, The Wolf Man, Hangover Square, Mad Love, M
The 50's monster, big bug sci-fi craze
Creature From The Black Lagoon (1954). A new take on beauty and the beast or king kong. A group of scientists out looking for the missing link between man and fish are stalked by on the most original looking monsters in cinema history. I was lucky enough to meet the "Gillman" before he passed away a couple of years ago. I love being able to say that I met a Universal Monster :-)
Invasion Of The Body Snatchers (1956). The "red scare" disguised as an alien invaders movie. This is one of the most well known science fiction movies and for good reason. Kevin McCarthy watches as his normal life of friends and lovers is taken over by the "pod people".
name only recommendations: The Fly, War Of The Worlds, Earth Vs. The Flying Saucers, The Monolith Monsters, The Blob
(50s and 60s. Black and white and horror in colour!!
Nobody in this era did colour horror better than the British with their film studio known as Hammer. Hammer horror movies are wonderful period gothic films layered with atmosphere.
Horror Of Dracula (1958). starring Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing, two of my favourites of all time. This is Dracula in colour and closer to Stoker's vision of the man up to this point.
The Curse Of Frankenstein. (1957) Again, following in Universal's footsteps by tackling the classic monsters but updating them in colour and more daring content. These were considered vile films in it's day for depicting sex and gore in colour and right in front of your eyes.
The Curse Of The Werewolf (1961). A young Oliver Reed inflicted with the man to beast disease.
Gojira (1954). The very first Godzilla film. Not the martial expert dinosaur of later films. The movie is a total lesson of what atom bomb war did to that part of the world.
House Of Wax (1953). Vincent Price in one his first (if not, his very first) horror villain role. Vincent gone mad, kills and then displays his victims as wax figures. Trivia: Originally filmed in 3-D by a director who only had sight in one eye and was obviously not able to enjoy his film the way everyone else did.
The House Of Usher (1960). Roger Corman directs Vincent Price in a story by Poe. Amazing gothic movie.
Night Of The Living Dead (1968). A small band of friends and co-workers and investors pony up a paltry $114,000 and make one of classics of horror and zombie cinema.
name only recommendations: The Haunting, The Fly, I Walked With A Zombie, The Cat People, Psycho, The Birds, Carnival Of Souls
The 1970s
Let's Scare Jessica To Death (1976). A low key movie about some very creepy people and one mentally disturbed Jessica. Her mind is so fragile and there are many things here about to put her over the edge. I love the title.
Suspiria (1977). Italian horror maestro Dario Argento at his best IMO. A dizzying horror movie in livid colours, full of nightmarish qualities and with a spooky hard hitting score.
Invasion Of The Body Snatchers (1978). One of the movies that horrified me beyond belief as a child. It still manages to unnerve me today. Comes with one of the best final frames in movie history.
Phantasm (1978). Original original original. Follow Reggie and Mike as they battle The Tallman, his dwarf minions and flying spheres as he slowly takes over the
dead and makes him his slave. Fantastic score, creepy villain and fun all the way around.
Zombi 2 aka Zombie (1979). the other well known Italian Lucio Fulci directs this gore-fest about zombies taking over an island. This isn't for the squeemish but a great film to watch if you are sick and tired of CGI blood and monsters. A very dread inducing film and score.
name only recommendations: Alien. The Exorcist, Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Jaws, The Omen, Halloween, Shock Waves, Dawn Of The Dead, Piranha, The Howling, Daughters Of Darkness
The 1980's
The Changeling (1980). The scariest film I have ever seen and it's a Canadian film with George C. Scott. GCS moves into a haunted house and we are then scared to death for 1.5 hours. (EDIT: I just rewatched this for the first time since I was a teenager and it didn't have the same effect. While still good, it's not the scariest I have seen now)
The Fog (1980). One of John Carpenter's best. Thick atmospehere (literally) a young Jamie Lee Curtis is terrorized by the fog and what is lurking in it.
An American Werewolf In London (1981). Must be seen! Scary with a little bit of black comedy thrown in and the greatest on screen practical effects (non CGI) werewolf transformation in motion picture history.
The Thing (1982). released the same year as E.T. and died a dismal death at the box office. This isn't a pleasant alien wanting to go home! A band of arctic scientists are isolated, paranoid and killed off by "the thing". I cannot recommend this enough. Kurt Russel is great in this one.
Scarecrows (1988). creepy looking Scarecrows come to life and stalk a bunch of bank robbers looking for their loot.
Return Of The Living Dead (1987). one of the most successful comedy/horror films. They got it right with this one. Able to make you laugh, able to revolt you and able to instill dread. This one should not be missed.
other name only recommendations: The Burning, Slumber Party Massacre, Near Dark, The Blob, Videodrome, Fright Night, Prince Of Darkness, Phantasm II, Cronos, Re-Animator, Basket Case, The Shining, Poltergeist 1&2, Hellraiser, Cujo, Friday The 13th(s), Nightmre On Elm Street(s), The Hitcher,
Post 1990
I'm not real big on anything made after 1990 but there are definitely some worth watching.
Candyman (1990). This managed to scare all 2,000 of us at the world premier. The director and the two leads Virginia Madsen and Tony Todd were in attendance and were very pleased by the reaction :-).
Tremors (1990). A hilarious and charming monster movie with Fred Ward and Kevin Bacon. A Must see. Handymen Earl and Val stuck in a small isolated desert town being attacked by monsters that live under the ground.
Trick 'r Treat (2007). A movie in the same vein of Crash (2006) where all the segments tie together. Some wonderful visuals, some fright, some comedy and some twists.
The Descent (2006). Claustrophobic? Avoid this one at all costs then! A group of female spelunkers get lost in the underground caves and are stalked by creatures who have never seen the light of day. Be sure to get the "original uncut". The other one has the happy ending version on it.
28 Days Later (2002). A great take on later day zombies. Very tense IMO.
Inside (2007). Pretty gory film but also fairly tense story about a pregnant woman, home alone and being harassed by a prowler.
other name only recommendations: I Sell The Dead, The Ring, Slither, Storm Of The Century, Severance, Black Sheep, Undead Or Alive
One of the things that I love about the genre movies is that there are conventions and expos held where we the fans can meet the filmmakers and the actors. I've met a ton of genre personalities and it always ads the enjoyment of watching these films because I can bring up the memory of the time that I had a handshake, picture and a conversation with the people on and behind the screens of these great and no so great films.
there were some really good episodes in this series. I thought that Stuart Gordon's "The Black Cat" was the best of the bunch. Carpenter's "Cigarette Burns" was really cool and The Washingtonians was fantastic.
i didn't even make it through that one.
You gotta look at it in retrospect with the understanding that... (spoilers)
We are the ancient ones, the viewers. The characters live and die on our whims. It tries, quite ambitiously to explain EVERY horror movie that this generation has seen. It pokes at the archetypes, and is very self aware. Quite a trip.
Sadly, I've not seen much of late. Tucker and Dale vs. Evil isn't a horror, but it's a great spoof and highly comedic entertainment. I saw "The Chernobyl Diaries", and it's a not great take on the "found footage" genre. A thriller I saw (my def'n of horror vs. thriller is thriller has no supernatural element) was "Die Welle" or "The Wave". Again, subtitle, but fantastic. It's on the american version of Netflix, not sure about Canadian version.
Older ones that I've seen and may have suggested? The Orphanage (Spanish), I want to see Insidious, and I kinda liked the "Paranormal Activities" so whatever # they're up to now I'll watch soon I think.
Mark
paranormal activities were good. first one freaked me out but second was meh.
i have to see chernobyl diaries simply because i'm a zombie lover
He said its a type of movie that you watch once and never want to see again. I haven't seen it myself as I'm to chicken.
I've also heard that "Troll Hunter" - though sounding terribly lame is pretty good.
Mark
No, it wasnt good at all.
Although I couldnt stop watching.
I thought it was a comedy until about 30-40 minuntes in.
As long as they don't fuck this up, I am looking forward to it as well. The book was fantastic...probably the best of it's genre.