Best Horror Movies

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well, thats it.  another Halloween season come and gone.  i watched 18 horror films: 7 were reviewed here in Best Horror and 11 new ones in the Horror thread. 

1. The Curse Of Frankenstein
2. Dead Of Night
3. Fright Night
4. The Haunting
5. Horror Of Dracula
6. Re-Animator
7. Silence Of The Lambs

thanks to RK and Gamblour for participating again!  there were definitely a few more movies i had planned on getting to (including a few 10 skull-ers) but i just ran out of time.  i guess there's always next year...

[MacGuffin]

Eli Roth Picks the Best Horror Movies You've Never Seen
The Hostel director gets down with the terror.

Running right now over at IGN's sister site, Rotten Tomatoes, is a sweet little post-Halloween item called "Eli Roth Presents the Best Horror Movies You've Never Seen." That headline pretty much sums up the whole affair, but here's what Roth, the director behind the Hostel films and Cabin Fever, has to say about his list:

"These movies are so awesome and they're completely overlooked by both critics and fans for no reason. They should be rediscovered and brought back to life. They've all had some effect on me and these are all films that you can actually find on DVD."

Films that made the list include Torso, Who Can Kill a Child?, Nightmare City, Toby Dammit, and others. Never heard of them? Well, that's why you need to check out this article and read Roth's very persuasive reasons why these are must-see horror flicks.


http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/hostel_2/news/1685335/1.php

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The Return.


Let The Right One In (2008)
"I'm twelve—though I've been twelve for a long time."

WHATS IT ABOUT? One of the most critically acclaimed horror films of the past decade is a coming of age tale about a friendship between troubled 12 year old Oskar and Eli a 200 year old vampire.

IS IT SCARY? Yes. And the horror sequences are expertly filmed.



WHAT'S GOOD ABOUT IT? It puts its characters first, deftly handles switching between horror, dark comedy, and coming of age film.  The horror scenes are scary and stylish and doesn't shy away from gore.  The cinematography and score are beautiful and I can't imagine finding better child actors.

SCARIEST MOMENT: Eli's first kill.



WHY SHOULD I WATCH IT? Because whether you like horror films or not, you've never seen anything like it.

[Stefen]

 

Yes. It's amazing. It'll be on my top 10 of the decade.

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A Nightmare On Elm Street (1984)
"Whatever you do don't fall asleep."

WHATS IT ABOUT? Wes Craven's masterpiece introduces a horror icon: Freddy Krueger a maniac who kills you in your nightmares.  It's a true original vision that brought this character to life in a way unmatched by 7 sequels and (soon to be) a remake.

IS IT SCARY? Yes. Freddy Krueger here is a true monster, not the wisecracking villain he would become in later sequels.



WHAT'S GOOD ABOUT IT? The film is near perfect.  A smart darkly funny script, an iconic score, and Craven's inventiveness giving the film a dreamlike quality where you never know if the characters are asleep or awake. 

SCARIEST MOMENT: The bathtub.



WHY SHOULD I WATCH IT? Because it's one of the great horror films of all time centered around one brilliantly scary idea: what if your nightmares were real? 

[RegularKarate]

It's not scary.

I'm in a show where we do MST3K style mockings of popular movies live and we're doing Nightmare right now.  I've had to watch this thing Sooooo many times now and it is BORING!

There is SO much pointless walking around where nothing happens.  If Freddy were scarier, then the walking around would have enough payoff, but while he's not as bad as he gets in the sequels, he's still just a dude that does silly stuff.

The only good kill is the first kill (which is surprisingly good for the budget and actually a little frightening) but the rest are total let-downs after having to sit through five minutes of just slow walking.

I appreciate the movie and I remember loving it at one point, but boy is it not scary and it definitely doesn't hold up to repeat viewings.

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As an adult I think it's difficult to be scared by any film unless you allow it to.  Nothing really is that scary but the intent is there in this film.  The only problem I have with this film is Heather Langenkamp's acting and some scenes where the camera shows Freddy lumbering around instead of preserving more mystery.  But as I said the concept is great and the execution is there (especially in the opening and closing scenes of the film).

[Neil]

i know it's over.
-but i'm getting ready to watch de palma's sisters now for the first time...

[Stefen]

i know it's over.
-but i'm getting ready to watch de palma's sisters now for the first time...

The first Criterion I ever stole bought.

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from my blog:

My Top 10 Horror Films of The Decade
It's October and that means I'm going to be watching as many Horror movies as I can in 31 days.  The golden age of Horror films seems to be mostly behind us but the last decade has brought us a handful of gems for your seasonal viewing.  Here are my favorite Horror films released between 2000-2009.


1. THE RING (2002)
The best horror film in a decade manages to overcome two potentially crippling handicaps: it's a remake and it's rated PG-13.  But it's a good mystery, it's scary as hell and the American version manages to improve upon the original in every way creating a modern horror masterpiece.      


2. SHAUN OF THE DEAD (2004)
It's not a spoof.  Edgar Wright's debut is a near perfect genre mashup: the Zom Rom Com.  Few films have succeeded as spectacularly at mixing horror and comedy, which puts the film in the rarefied company of Evil Dead II and An American Werewolf In London as a classic of it's kind.


3. LET THE RIGHT ONE IN (2008)
If you haven't seen it, you've never seen anything quite like it.  It's a horror film that puts its characters first, deftly handles switching between horror, dark comedy, and coming of age film and doesn't shy away from gore.  The American version is great but the original is unforgettable.


4. JEEPERS CREEPERS (2001)
While it contains many familiar horror elements, this underrated film 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.


5. 28 DAYS LATER (2002)
Danny Boyle's single-handedly resurrected zombies for the next decade (and beyond). Plays more like a story of survival than a standard horror film where the scares come from actually being invested in the characters.  While the film steals liberally from Romero's Zombie Trilogy, it does so without ever feeling like a throwback or an homage.


6. THE OTHERS (2001)
A very creepy atmospheric ghost story in the vein of The Changeling and The Sixth Sense.  It's a spooky well-made movie for people who don't normally like horror movies.  It's also probably the last time Nicole Kidman could move her face.


7. HOSTEL (2005)
Maligned for being "torture porn", the scenes of gore are actually used sparingly, though for maximum impact.  While it's not a perfect horror film (it's a little fratty at times), it manages something that few horror films can nowadays: it's effectively scary.


8. THE DESCENT (2006)
The less you know about it the better.  Contains some of the most claustrophobic scenes ever filmed as well as a 2nd act twist that spins the film in a whole new direction.


9. SAW (2004)
Guilty of spawning the "torture porn" genre as well as a half dozen terrible sequels, it's easy to forget that  the original Saw was actually a good movie.  (It even played Sundance!)  It was an original mystery (yes, with a few horrific moments), that kept the audience guessing until the end.


10. CLOVERFIELD (2008)
On the surface it's Godzilla meets the Blair Witch project.  But Matt Reeves update of a monster movie was a pretty great thrill ride, especially to see it in New York.  (I recognized my street!)


BONUS. FREDDY VS. JASON (2003)
Probably the most fun horror movie of the decade.  Not as good as the original Nightmare on Elm Street, but better than pretty much every Friday The 13th movie.  Takes the highlights from 17 films and distills it to 90 minutes of nostalgic slasher fun.

[RegularKarate]

Interesting List, Mod.  I LOVE exactly half of those movies (and only HATE about two of them).

from my blog:
4. JEEPERS CREEPERS (2001)
The film starts out as Duel, becomes The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (remake) and then turns into a full-on monster movie. loses its steam and completely gives up on being any good.

I don't know that I'd pick it as number one, but I really liked The Ring and am glad I'm not the only one.

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What's the other hate?  (Hostel, I'll guess?)  I'd be interested to see your list (or anybody elses.)  It was interesting sifting through a decade dominated by crap but finding the gems in there.  I'm trying to think of what my 90's list would even look like. 

[polkablues]

I hate to admit how much I like Hostel.  Eli Roth can choke on a curb for all I care, but he made about 90% of a perfect horror movie.

The only list I would ever put Jeepers Creepers on would be a list of movies that made me leave the theater actively hating them.  RK has it pegged, except that I don't think it loses steam so much as it runs entirely off the rails.  Jeepers Creepers 2 was actually a much better movie overall, as long as you can disregard the ick factor of Victor Salva directing a busload of shirtless teenage boys.

The Others was fine but forgettable.  Saw is only really good in comparison to the rest of the series that it spawned.

My alternate list would be thus:

1. The Descent

2. Let the Right One In

3. The Eye (original; NOT Jessica Alba version)

4. Shaun of the Dead

5. Hostel

6. The Mist

7. 28 Days Later

8. Session 9

9. [REC]

10. The Ring