Best Horror Movies

[Alethia]

plus john cassavetes is in it.

[Ghostboy]

I like these Eyes Without A Face avatars I'm seeing around...you should check out that one, Mod, it's a classic. You'll know why when you see it.

[Gamblour.]

You know, I barely remember watching Eyes Without A Face, and there's a reason for that.....it's numbingly boring.

[modage]

Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956)
"They're here already.  You're next!"

WHATS IT ABOUT? The original (and still the best) tale of a town being taken over by alien doppelgangers.

IS IT SCARY? No, but like Rosemary's Baby there is a paranoia that keeps building.  



WHAT'S GOOD ABOUT IT? It's such a timeless story that people feel  the need to remake it every 15 years.  Fans of noir, sci-fi, & horror should all be able to appreciate the way this movie walks the line between many genres without ever stepping into silliness.

SCARIEST MOMENT: When Becky wakes up.



WHY SHOULD I WATCH IT? Because it's a classic.  It's the Citizen Kane of 1950's Sci-Fi movies.  And you college kids can try to figure out if it's rallying against Communism or McCarthyism.  

[modage]

Dead Alive aka Braindead (1992)
"I kick ass for the lord!"

WHATS IT ABOUT? Peter Jackson's early horror comedy is indebted to Sam Raimi and George Romero but unlike any movie you've ever seen before.

IS IT SCARY? No, it's quite ridiculous actually.  It's a horror comedy that isn't scary and never had any intentions to be.  Which unfortunately is what keeps the film from really being a true classic for me.  



WHAT'S GOOD ABOUT IT? It plays like Looney Tunes in Hell.  Every disgusting thing you can imagine is in this movie.  

SCARIEST MOMENT: n/a



WHY SHOULD I WATCH IT? When it was released it was being touted as "The goriest fright film of all time". It's true.  I can't even imagine the lengths you would have to go through to try to top this movie.  And I STILL can't imagine how New Line Cinema decided to take a $300 million dollar gamble on the guy who made THIS movie!  

[modage]

The Others (2001)
"Sometimes the world of the living gets mixed up with the world of the dead."

WHATS IT ABOUT? A very creepy atmospheric ghost story in the vein of The Changeling and The Sixth Sense.

IS IT SCARY? Yes.  Especially if you've never seen it before, it packs a few good scares.  



WHAT'S GOOD ABOUT IT? It's extremely well done: high-class horror.  Very artfully directed, wonderfully acted, and there are enough twists to keep the story interesting.

SCARIEST MOMENT: When the old woman finds them in the closet.



WHY SHOULD I WATCH IT? It's a spooky well-made movie for people who don't normally like horror movies.

[cowboykurtis]

If you like The Others I suggest watching the film in which it's derived - The Innocents - far better in my opinion

(I guess they're technically both derived from the book, but...)

[RegularKarate]

what?  The Others, a movie version of one of the stories from "Tales to keep you up at night: the hook and other children's horror stories" is better than Dead Alive?

Man, I was with you until that happened.

[modage]

If you like The Others I suggest watching the film in which it's derived - The Innocents - far better in my opinion

(I guess they're technically both derived from the book, but...)

oh i didn't realize that.  i knew it just came out on dvd and actually it's on it's way from Netflix right now.

what?  The Others, a movie version of one of the stories from "Tales to keep you up at night: the hook and other children's horror stories" is better than Dead Alive?

Man, I was with you until that happened.

Dead Alive's first hour is a little slower going.  The last half hour is brilliant though.  And like I mentioned, for me it's biggest downfall is not trying to be scary.  The movie could be 10 times what it is and in a league with Evil Dead and the films it admires if they had tried for laughs and scares.  The only problem with The Others for me is just coming so close after The Sixth Sense which since it was probably already in production isn't really the films fault.

[polkablues]

SCARIEST MOMENT: n/a

I mostly agreed with this whole review, but the zombie babie in the playground literally gave me nightmares for weeks after I first saw this movie.  But then, evil babies in general scare the shit out of me.

[modage]

for macguffin...


Jeepers Creepers (2001)
"They were stuck on the walls like some psycho version of the sistine chapel."

WHATS IT ABOUT? A brother and sister returning home from college encounter unspeakable evil in this scary, underrated, original film.

IS IT SCARY? Yes.  It's a horror smorgasbord; there's something for everybody here.    



WHAT'S GOOD ABOUT IT? It's smart and unpredictable.  The film is aware of horror cliché's and goes out of it's way to put a twist on them and dodge your expectations at every turn.

SCARIEST MOMENT: When Darius finds the House of Pain.



WHY SHOULD I WATCH IT? Because it's one of the best horror films of the past 5 years.  While it contains many familiar horror elements, it spins them in such a way that you never know what will happen next.  The film starts out as Duel, becomes The Texas Chainsaw Massacre and then turns into a full-on monster movie!  

[ᾦɐļᵲʊʂ]

You know, I barely remember watching Eyes Without A Face, and there's a reason for that.....it's numbingly boring.

I disagree.  I found it to be very creepy and haunting... especially the ending.

Also, Mod, I would have to disagree with Jeepers Creepers.  It seemed very predictable to me, was almost comical, and once you see the guy, he's really not that scary anymore.  I would have to place numbingly boring with this instead of Eyes Without A Face.

[modage]

Also, Mod, I would have to disagree with Jeepers Creepers.  It seemed very predictable to me, was almost comical, and once you see the guy, he's really not that scary anymore.  I would have to place numbingly boring with this instead of Eyes Without A Face.

i will fight you (on this).  

SPOILERS FOR UNINITIATED

there is NO WAY in hell you could have possibly predicted where the movie was going if you hadn't seen anything beforehand (like i hadn't when i first watched it).  unless you had heard from trailers or reviews where it was going you would have to be totally surprised.  as i mentioned above, the movie starts out as Duel, just some asshole on the road.  as it goes along and reveals more the movie changes into something else.  by the time he sprouts a wing on the road i almost shit my pants.  that was not obvious!  you may not have like where the movie went, but you sure as hell didn't predict it!  the sister tries to throw herself on its mercy to spare the brother and he flies out of there!  lead character dead, no resolution, no happy ending = awesome/unpredictable!  now if you're talking about the 2nd movie, i will agree with you.  the 2nd movie falls into every trap the first one avoids and sucks hard.

[ᾦɐļᵲʊʂ]

i will fight you (on this).  

Meet me in the Thunderdome.

[MacGuffin]

I was with mod up until his last two picks.