I love horror movies. These are probably my favorites: 1) Halloween: Although it helped popularize one of the worst subgenres of horror cinema, this vastly influential independent film is still one of the scariest things I've ever seen. The minimalistic direction, deliberate pacing (the film makes sure that the viewer is almost never COMFORTABLE watching the film), and eerie music have made this a horror icon, and I have found its effect hasn't been lost over the years. 2) A Nightmare on Elm Street: True story-- when I was three years old, I watched almost nothing but this film. I wanted to watch it so often that it actually concerned my family. Perhaps this is part of what led to my life-long fascination with horror. So watching this movie is one of my earliest and dearest memories. However, it is also a delightfully surreal and creepy film. The nightmare imagery in it is supremely unnerving at times, and this was Freddy Kreuger at his best. Plus, it was Johnny Depp's first film... wherein he gets sucked into a bed and his gory remains are spewed out all over the ceiling. 3) Night of the Living Dead: I know most people like Dawn of the Dead more. Especially academics, who love its satire of American consumerism and blah-de-blah-de-blah. For straight up horror, though, you can't get better than this paranoid little nightmare. Strange, mindless creatures roam the countryside and end up trapping a group of very different people together. Hatred and racism gnaw at the people inside, and death awaits outside. The downer ending is also pretty shocking. 4) The Haunting: I refer to the 1963 original, of course. Famous for being a terrifying film where nothing terrifying is ever seen! This film does a whole lot with sound and suggestion. 5) Return of the Living Dead: Perhaps more comedy than horror, but it was one of the few films to almost perfectly combine these two genres. The film is blackly hilarious throughout, but the creepiness is still ever-present. Other people often cite Dead-Alive or Shaun of the Dead as better horror-comedies, but those films will never be able to match up to the shlocky perfection of this one.
Does Signs count as a horror movie? Scared the living crap out of me tbh. I'm not much for horror movies, but i agree with you on The Haunting. The remake was a joke! XD
I think of it more as suspense than horror, but that can be an extremely thin line at times. Yes, the remake of The Haunting is worse than most horror remakes. A good horror remake I saw recently was The Thing. I still prefer the original, but they did a pretty good job of preserving the paranoid tone and nightmare fuel visuals of the original.
1) The Exorcist (1973) Definitely one of the classic horror movies out there that still retains its appeal. Even though the special effects are outdated now, the movie still provides plenty of horror to audiences. Superb acting, excellent atmospheric music, and good pacing keep this movie enjoyable through further viewings. 2) The Evil Dead (1981) Probably one of the most well known B movies ever made and a definite cult classic. This was the only purely scary movie in the trilogy, and I think they handled the scares well. Besides, who can forget the controversial tree scene? 3) The Cabin In The Woods (2011) More a mix of comedy and horror, this movie still has some shocking moments. The modern setting and characters makes it more relatable to viewers. I especially love how they turn all the horror movie stereotypes and tropes of slasher flicks right on their head. Lots of references to older films involving a cabin in the woods (see The Evil Dead above). Not to mention this movie had one of the best twist endings I've seen in a while. 4) Suspiria (1977) A Dario Argento classic. If you have never seen any of Dario Argento's films, I highly recommend doing so. This movie has fantastic pacing, atmosphere, music, acting, and plenty of scares. The tagline for the film reads: "The Only Thing More Terrifying Than The Last 12 Minutes Of This Film Are The First 92." 5) Cube (1997) An excellent scifi horror that takes real life concerns into account through the movie. The traps placed throughout and the entire concept is very imaginative, the characters are interesting and engaging, and the ending isn't what you would expect.
Oh, I love the original Evil Dead (not so much the sequels, which got increasingly silly for my taste). For a no-budget indie movie, they did a pretty good job making it intense. The scene that always got me was when the extreme poltergeisty stuff happened near the end of the film. It was as if reality itself were going insane. Also, as you mentioned, the fascinating vine rape sequence. And the extremely hard to watch pencil-jabbed-into-ankle sequence. Extremely gutsy moves back when this movie was made. Cube was fascinating. It felt very Cronenberg-ish. It had that same sort of surreal, sci-fi/horror aesthetic to it that a lot of his films did. It was also freakier to me than most modern gore films: it would be awful to wake up and realize you've been kidnapped by some deranged killer, but to wake up in the middle of some deadly alien structure that shouldn't even exist? I love how the filmmakers never try to objectively answer WHAT the Cube is. The mysterious nature of it is definitely what makes this film.
Aliens(1985?) In my opinion, the best sci fi horror movie. It's a perfect balance of action and suspense. Not as scary as the original, but still a damn fine movie. It has 2 really great and exciting standoffs against the aliens, with one of the most intense one on one fights evar Pitch Black(2000) This movie didn't get the best ratings, nor did it have good special effects. But it was still a nice horror sci fi. I really enjoyed the backstory of the character, Riddick. Pandorum(2009) Not a really well known one, not terribly scary either. But (like Pitch Black), it has a very creepy atmosphere. The Ring(remake)
1. Evil Dead - Just fantastic, a journey through one mans struggle to keep his sanity in the face of ultimate evil. Truly inspiring. 2. Dead Birds - Absolutely brilliant, this movie tells you nothing, but tells you everything, it has hints at the start of the movie to the twist ending, but they are so obscure that even if you notice them you won't know what they meant until you watch it a second time, it's not often a movie comes along that truly surprises me. 3. The Thing - What to say about The Thing, only that this movie is the perfect mixture between thriller and horror, the movie isn't just about the monster, it is a creature that can mimic perfectly any living thing, and that is where this movie really comes to light, it's slow pace lets you get to know the characters, makes you feel for them, then you watch as they break down in paranoia at the truly horrifying fear that no one can be trusted, in a moment where teamwork is most important they cannot utilize it at all. Just wow. That's all I can think of for now.
I would Say 1. A Nightmare on Elmstreet (Just gotta love Freddy Krueger) 2. Evil Dead (Just a awesome Movie) 3. It (that Clown Is Scary) 4. Cannibal Holocaust (it is Gore but its more brutal then most horror) 5. Dawn Of The Dead (remake) Your Faithful Student Metal Sparkle
The wicker man(1973)- that movie scared the hebbie jiebbys out of me mainly for its Erie villagers and ancient pagen rituals. Also the fact that this did actually happen in the past, the burning of men,women,and animals was constantly done in the times of pegan Scotland,Ireland, Wales and other countries although less famously for it. The woman in black(2012)-mainly because of the jump scares, way too many, not advised for people with heart problems
In no particular order: 1. Scream- This was the first slasher film I sat all the way through and it terrified me. The first ten minutes still gives me chills. 2. Night of the Living Dead- Started my love of zombie stories. 3. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974)- Still one of the scariest movies ever made. 4. House on Haunted Hill- One of Vincent Price's best and the perfect movie for a dark and stormy night. 5. Creepshow- My favorite Stephen King movie. It caused me to seek out the old EC comics that inspired it and they are awesome.
