Another late start, my friends… I apologize, but real life has a way of sometimes screwing up my virtual world here. So, let’s do our annual October survey of favorite — and scariest — horror films. What do you say? I can do that one quickly, and you guys can take up my slack, again. You know, if you wanna.
Here is a fresh list of the Greatest Horror Films of All-Time, as chosen by “leading directors and stars,” whatever that means. It’s not a bad list, but I don’t consider Jaws to be a horror film, and the same goes for Dawn of the Dead. Those are action movies, right? I’m not sure they fit the category.
And maybe I’m admitting too much about myself, but I’m unfamiliar with Suspiria. Never heard of it. Gasp in shock and sadness, if you must.
I like The Shining, Halloween, Psycho, and (if we’re including zombie films) Dawn of the Dead. In fact, Dawn of the Dead is one of my favorite movies, period. I’ve probably watched it ten or twelve times, and it’s a masterpiece of cartoonish gore and mayhem. Incredibly entertaining.
My other favorite zombie flick is 28 Days Later. I recommend it without hesitation.
But the movie that scared me the most doesn’t appear on the list. And I admit… it’s not as scary now as it was when I was twelve. But it’s still pretty creepy, and a really good flick. And that’s Black Christmas — the original, from the 1970s. I know there’s a remake, but I’ve never seen it. I’m talking about the one with Margot Kidder, from 1974.
That movie used to be in heavy rotation during the early days of HBO, and was always broadcast as Stranger in the House, for some reason. The first time I watched it, I nearly soiled my Towncrafts. Heh.
There’s a twist in the tale, as they say, near the end of the movie, and it messed me up — for a good long time. The “prank” phone calls are scary, too. Weird shit, man. I lost actual sleep as a result of that movie, and I can’t think of any others I can say that about.
To tell you the truth, I don’t really like movies like The Omen. That’s not my kind of horror film. All the chanting and candles and creepy children and religious overtones… It goes over the line with the freakiness, to the point where it’s no longer fun. Does that make any sense?
I apologize for this quickie update, written like an email, but it’s better than nothing. Maybe. And I’m going to turn it over to you guys now.
In the comments section please tell us your favorite horror films, and also the one that scared you the most. And if you have any opinions about the Top 10 list linked above, we’d like to hear about that as well.
And I’ll be back tomorrow, and will try it again.
See ya then!
Time for a Tuborg Gold !!!
Bastards !
Umm, not a scary movie guy, really…I will think on it.
Top 5! Now that’s scary…
Frankenhooker, not scary, but horror-funny with lots of gore, and um, bits & pieces of stuff.
Lower budget Indie flick from the early 90’s from the director/writer/producer of another top horror pick, “Basket Case.”
That was the great Frank Hennenlotter! I LOVED Frankenhooker! I think the main guy (was it Frank Lorenz?) was hilarious. Hennenlotter’s newest flick, “Bad Biology” is another nasty piece of work – a lot like his film “Brain Damage” if you liked that…
Bad Biology is on Netflix Instant right now in case you haven’t seen it.
Not really a Horror Film person but sure did used to love popping popcorn and watching Chiller Theater on Saturday nights after getting home from the skating rink!!!
WOW. Chiller Theater with your host “Chilly Billy”!! Every Saturday night after SNL at 1AM. What a memory. Loved it. Here’s some more memories:
http://www.chillertheatermemories.com
Was this the show where the 6 fingered hand came up out of the ground?
I don’t remember the 6 fingered hand. But I do remember one of the cast members “Terminal Stare”!
You can find a video of that intro with that stop-motion animated hand online. I think I saw it on YouTube…
When I was real little (early 60’s) I used to hide behind the couch when the theme song started.
Isn’t Bill Cardille still around? I know he was making the convention rounds for a time. George Romero married his daughter, Lori!
Chilly Billy just passed away August 2010
Chilly Billy ain’t dead. He just got an award in Sept. for 50 years on t.v.
oops. Sorry Chill. The website is a little misleading.
Any movie with Jane Fonda in it. Ohhh; you said horror movie. Sorry about that.
Is “Home Alone” a horror film?
Black Christmas, YES – scared the snot out of me.
I always thought “The Birds” was pretty scary.
And there was a show that Rod Serling narrated “Night Gallery” – the episode with Roddy McDowell and the changing graveyard picture still scares the shyte out of me.
I just watched Night Gallery for the first time in 30 years. Its on late nights during the week days. One of my insomnia-laced nights. But they only aired the actual episode omitting Rod Serling’s introduction…which was the best part.
Night Gallery – the episode where the guy gives his girlfriend a brooch made from a stuffed rodent of some kind – as the evening wears on the broach grows to incredible proportions and they can’t get it off her jacket. It consumes them. Man, did that ever scare me.
Malcolm: THAT’S the one I watched!! The girl that was attacked by the growing rodent brooch was Sondra Locke!!
Gretchen: How weird is that? The one episode I remember so vividly…
…and Sondra Locke – no shit!
My sister went to a private school for a few years with Rod Serling’s daughter Nan. He was apparently a pretty normal dad, unfortunately the smoking habits of the day got him way too young…
I think you meant to say “Bikerchick.”
Yes, indeed, sorry ’bout that to both of y’all.
I actually watched the countdown of the Top 100 Scariest Movies last year. I think it was on VH1. But they had “Jaws” as #1 which I think was hardly accurate. Good as it was, it didn’t deserve numero uno.
For me:
1. Halloween (my all time fave, it’s my phone’s ringtone!!)
2. The Exorcist
3. Carrie (the original, of course)
4. Psycho
5. The Shining
6. Blair Witch Project
Although the Blair Witch Project was a bunch of horseshit the ending freaked me out so much that to this day it still bothers me. I guess because what “wasn’t” there and left to the imagination.
Good call on the movies!
I would add Cujo to the your list. Rabid animals scare the shit out of this country boy!
I like more gore than horror.
Lunchmeat is one of my all time favorites. An 80’s movie about 80’s teenagers bitching about 80’s problems in the woods. Then some retards with chainsaws murder hem all and sell their flesh to a local restaurant.
I like rob zombies films too. House of 1000 Corpses is great.
House of 1000 corpses is pretty good ( features Rainn Wilson, for you fans of “The Office” ) but I like the sequel, “The Devil’s Rejects” more. The family of killers from “1000 corpses” are ostensibly the heroes here so you don’t know who to root for – plus it’s got the gore for ya, if that’s what punches your ticket.
hmmm…True horror flicks usually freak me out so much I can’t get through them. Example – The Shining. I have never seen the whole thing from beginning to end.
Stuff like 28 Days Later – excellent. Saw it twice (and I rarely go to movies).
Gore for gore’s sake – doesn’t usually do it for me.
Good Afternoon Surf Reporters….
Jacob’s Ladder was pretty fuckin’ spooky.
I haven’t been to a slasher flick since college. Does Cloverfield count as horror? That was pretty scary.
The head coming out of the boat in Jaws made my spine tingle, and just about every minute of the Excorcist was scary if you were 13 when you saw it.
The Shining!! True Classic!
not sure this is horror, but that movie Mirrors??? Or something like that. The mirrors are alive and can do things to your image….yech. I could barely walk to bed without giving my mirrors the side eye…
My favorite horror films of all time, listed off the top of my head (I’m leaving out the Sci-fi and fantasy genres)
1. The Bride of Frankenstein
(The most perfect horror film of all time, in my book)
2. The Horror of Dracula
3. Eraserhead
4. The Dawn of the Dead (orig.)
5. The Exorcist
6. Re-Animator
7. M
8. Abbott & Costello Meet Frankenstein
9. Eyes Without A Face
10. Cannibal Holocaust
The ones that scared the living daylights out of me when I first saw them are The Plague of the Zombies, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, The Exorcist and Night of the Living Dead.
I don’t understand the fear, terror, or horror in films. When I watch stuff like The Shining, Blair Witch, or Children of the Corn i stare at the screen like it’s an airline gate attendant explaining to me about the benefits of online check-in.
I liked the Shining, but it wasn’t scary. I don’t think I have the right parts to become fearful of a movie or book.
I read horror novels like they are instructions on how to put a workbench together. They just don’t get me.
Same feelings here. Texas Chainsaw masacre? Massacre? A horror? Really? And why do people tell me I’m not supposed to laugh and demand more blood and guts?
The Exorcist freaked me out when I was a kid, but I was raised with a very 3rd world Catholic Grandmother. To this day any really well done demonic movie still freaks me out a little. When I was 12 I could barely sleep for a week though.
Try ‘The Strain’ by Guillermo del Toro and Chuck Hogan. Its a great read. I’m about to start the sequel and I can’t wait. (I read this book listening to the soundtrack to ‘8mm’ which was another pretty creepy movie in itself.)
Ian – I love Del Toro’s movies with a passion, but I’ve never read any of his horror fiction (in fact, I don’t read much fiction at all these days). I’ve heard good things about his writing. How do you think he stacks up to most contemporary horror authors? What title would you recommend as a good starting point if one were to seek out his books?
I’ve not read his other stuff but I really enjoyed ‘The Strain’.
I don’t read much fiction either but I’ve been told not to buy the sequel yet. I can tell there might be a book shaped present going under the tree, for which I’ll have to summon up surprise and gratitude for on the day.
I’ll maybe just buy it anyway, and read it ‘covertly’.
I just watched ‘The Orphanage’ last night . V Creepy. (Especially the bit with the dessicated boy! )
Evil Twin: Eraserhead was one of the worst movies I have ever seen.
I understand what you’re saying. I love it for a lot of different reasons, but primarily because it unravels like one big, long terrifying dream. I think David Lynch really tapped into that kind of nonsensical terror that only the inner mind can produce. The first time I ever saw it was at a Midnight Movie screening while doing a hit of purple microdot and it completely blew my mind! Of course, acid has a way of making nonsense make perfect sense, so go figure! It still creeps me out in many ways, like most of Lynch’s stuff…
The guy was trying to get laid without getting killed by the girls parent, then they had a freak kid (essentially because they lived under powerlines in the pollution zone) and broke up.
…terrifying…
Admittedly, it’s not for everyone.
Eraserhead is an absolute classic. Best representation of a nightmare state ever filmed.
That ‘lamb-thing in the sock drawer’ still freaks me out!
Not much for horror movies, yes Buck I’m a big pussy.
I also liked Phantasm, Re-Animator, and The Brood.
Off topic, but this totally reminded me of the Gargoyle Letters. Enjoy.
Well, let’s try this again…………..
http://www.27bslash6.com/trash.html
That was awesome.
The Fog
Salem’s Lot and…..
Our wedding video (married 17 years this October 30th – LOL).
I still love the fact that Bob Clark directed both “Black Christmas” and “A Christmas Story”.
As for horror movies, most of the classics I didn’t see until long after I had them spoiled in one way or another (that’s an age thing). I mean, Jaws is something I can appreciate, but I wasn’t there – so I didn’t experience that the same way that so many other people did.
The most disturbing movie for me is a movie that I haven’t even seen: “The Human Centipede”. I watched the trailer, and I was so uncomfortable that I can’t even think about it without getting that horrible, queasy feeling in my gut.
yeah after watching the trailers and I read a review of it was enough for me. I don’t need those images burned in my head.
And don’t forget – Clark also produced Porky’s (didn’t he direct it as well?) and another minor horror classic – Alan Ormsby’s “Children Shouldn’t Play With Dead Things.” May he rest in peace.
Have you seen “The Human Centipede” yet? I can’t remember if we talked about it or not.
I’m not really sure if I want to, really! … It sounds an awful lot like typical j-gore mutant stuff ala “The Horrors of Malformed Men,” which is neat in itself, but I’ve seen so much of that stuff. Most accounts claim it’s really short on story.
Yeah, I have no interest in it myself, but I’ve actually heard from several people that it was much better than they thought it would be going in.
I just don’t care for that kind of stuff at all – that sort of border-edge realm of possibility stuff always freaks me out much worse than the supernatural/fantasy kind of horror. This particularly because I believe there are enough thoroughly messed-up people in the world that something like The Human Centipede, while very unlikely, is entirely plausible.
I liked “Satan’s Cheerleaders” – B movie horror is excellent.
I do like the religious-overtoned horror though – it is actually scary. “The Exorcist” is one of my favorites, as is “Exorcist III.” “The Exorcism of Emily Rose,” and etc.
Japanese horror gets me too – the original versions of “The Grudge” and “The Ring” come to mind.
Both of those movies freaked me out. But I am freaked out pretty easily. Just make something creepy and I will be hiding under a blanket.
“Jesus Camp” scared the shit out of me.
When I was a young kid I saw “Mr. Sardonicus” and it scared the absolute shit out of me. I went for a long time wondering what that movie was and finally tracked it down and ordered it. Now, not so scary. I was even mildly mocked by the youngster of the house. “You were scared by that?”
“Mr. Sardonicus” is great ! I’m a fan of all William Castle’s films. “Homicidal” is a great rip -off of “Psycho” and “13 Ghosts” is a great play on the original red/blue 3D glasses. To see the ghosts, look thru the red lens, if you’re too chicken, look thru the blue lens to avoid them ! William Castle … Whatta showman !
Hello Campers!!
Ok the Exorcist scared the pooplets out of me when i first saw it. Then in HS in 1982, our principal (headmaster – yes cat-lick boys school) informed us during a religion class that he had been the technical advisor on the exorcist, having actually performed several himself. HE played us tapes of an exorcism, and told us the story that apparently was the basis for the movie. Then he showed us the move, even at 17, it scared the crap out of me again. So The Exorcist is my #1. The ending of the Blair witch Fiasco freaked me out because it appeared to have been filmed in an abandoned house outside of Berkeley Springs WV that i had climbed around in as a kid, and we felt it slightly scary, then to see it many years later in the movie…. yikes.
Also, the Grudge was pretty damn good.
And horror movies should scare, not gross out.
I thank you for listening
Cool stories!
My favorite horror movies are Pet Sematary and Poltergeist. I don’t so much care for the Jason’s, Michael Myers, and Freddy’s. Hate on me if you will, but I just don’t really like them. Actually, I did REALLY like Rob Zombies remake of Halloween, but the originals don’t really do it for me. They are very repetative…nowadays the movies that are coming out are just a bunch of topless whores and horny 17 college kids being stabbed and decapitated. Did anyone see the remake of Friday the 13th? Enough said.
Poltergeist still scares me… I get the chills just hearing the music.
Saw Rob Zombies “The Devil’s Rejects” the other night. Not a horrror flick I guess…maybe…(dunno) but I thought it was pretty cool all in all. Liked it.
It wasn’t really scary…It was just one of those movies that leaves you feeling really weird. Like you just woke up from a nightmare and you need to take a shower to get the feeling off or something…Same with the House of a 1000 corpses.
Topless whores and horny 17 year olds are ripe for getting murdered, that’s why the slasher films go after them.
No 35 year old man trying to figure out how to get more visitation rights with his 9 year son is going to put up with some retard with a machete and a mask.
9 year old son.
Besides the 17 year olds are so baffled by breasts they don’t even realize the murderer with a pitch for whose about ot face stab them.
The crusty old divorcee will just shove an automatic home defense shotgun in that halloween masks mouth hole and pull the trigger ’til it goes “click”.
For psychological horror: The Shining (my favorite)
For gore: Dog Soldiers
For an unstoppable boogeyman: Halloween
For WTF: Spider Baby
For horror spoof: Student Bodies
Oh yeah, and for old-timey horror: Nosferatu
I’m terribly fond of “Carnival of Souls” (1962). But I can’t think of a nerdy little category.
“Carnival of Sould” is one of my faves as well!
I mean “Souls” of course. We need an “edit” feature here.
I loved the use of the crumbling Saltaire Pavilion. Very cool. And the twist ending. I sometimes long for a remake, but they’d probably screw it up. Plus the Saltaire Pavilion is long gone.
The Nosferatu with Malkivich and Wilam Defoe was great…imho. “Shadow of the Vampire”. Eddie Izzard was there too and his part was great. I don’t get ‘scared’…I just like good.
I saw that too. Plus the 70s remake. Cool beans.
I still haven’t seen “Shadow” – I love Murnau, so it doesn’t make sense that I’ve put off seeing it, but I guess my hesitation is due to the fictionalized aspect of it. Friends tell me that I’m on about nothing, and that I should just put that particular annoyance aside, and enjoy the movie. One buddy even tells me that he thinks Dafoe’s portrayal of Shreck/Nosferatu one-ups Kinski’s in the Herzog version (heresy!) so that sorta piqued my interest. I lovelovelove Dafoe these days, especially after seeing him in Von Trier’s “Antichrist,” where he was brilliantly annoying in his touchy-feely assholiness. A couple of weeks ago I also watched a great prison drama directed by Steve Buscemi that I didn’t even know existed, with Dafoe in the lead, called “Animal Factory.” It also starred Danny Trejo, Edward Furlong, Seymour Cassel, Mickey Rourke (in a GREAT performance), Tom Arnold and Buscemi himself. I don’t know how it got by me – it’s about 10 years old – but it’s a really solid prison drama! Sorry about the length of the comments – I gotta stop my stoned rambling and hit the sack!
Sweet dreams. Don’t let the underwater Nazi zombies bite!
Evil Twin…re: Shadow of the Vampire
I think you’d like it. It comes from the angle that the Nosfreatu (Dafoe) was the real deal.in the making of the original movie. Or… was he such a method actor he was consumed by the role? A little over-generalized but…watch it. You decide. You’ll dig it I’m sure..Great flick I think. Here…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JyBt5DDFcQY
Thanx, dto!
Have you seen ‘Shadow of the Vampire’ with Willem Dafoe as Max Shrek? Its pretty good.
ha! sorry to everyone who posted replies about this before I did. I am an idiot!
Best underwater Nazi zombie flick: Shock Waves
Shock Waves is sort of a special film for me (aside from the fact that it starred the great Peter Cushing, whom I love) – it was the movie that I was taping from a tv broadcast back in 1986 when my live-in girlfriend of 5 years told me that she was leaving me because she was sick of the routine (partying constantly, seeing bands every other night, living a carefree life). She actually pointed to the tv set to use it as an example in her rant (movies were more important than her – Frank Zappa is more important than her – my record collection is more important than her, my toy, music & film memorabilia collections were more important than her; ad infinitum). It was playing on Fritz The Night Owl’s show broadcast out of Columbus, OH. Anyone remember that program? The show continued later without Fritz, but featured the local band Phil Dirt & The Dozers as hosts. Anyway, whenever I think of that movie I think of her and that singular moment! I used to have the original one-sheet poster in my collection. The art was cool, and was used for the cover of the Wizard Video VHS release, I believe. You’re absolutely right – the coolest (slow moving) Nazi zombies ever!
ET, funny you mentioned Phil Dirt & The Dozers. They’ve been the headline act at the Marietta Sternwheler Festival, (a rather big deal around Parkersburg) for quite a few years. They’re really good.
They were actually pretty good hosts, as I recall. They were a lot of fun! One of the big recurring jokes was “The Pizza Guy,” a curvacious blonde pizza delivery girl. They’d order pizza just so they could ogle her. At the end of every program the camera would zoom in and fix on a large ceramic Elvis bust lamp, and the voiceover would say “thankyewverrrmudge” in Elvis’ voice…
Ah yes, the other film with Peter Cushing as the head of a indeterminate number of storm troopers nursing a fatal flaw (if you recall, if you ripped their goggles off the Nazis went belly up). The movie used to play all the time (alongside “Squirm”) on a local Philly channel back in the 80s. It always creeped me out, especially the wet Nazis emerging from the water (they were slow moving but purposeful, as one would expect Nazi zombies to be). The sound effects were pretty effective too. And Cushing is no slouch in the “scary to look at” category.
I did finally find a copy on DVD a couple years back. Had a great behind-the-scenes featurette, including the tidbit that Peter Cushing developed a serious obsession for IHOP pancakes during the entire Florida shoot. Didn’t put a pound on that skeletal fucker.
When I say “Shock Waves” was the best underwater Nazi zombie flick I’m not entirely joking. There apparently is another film featuring underwater Nazi zombies called “Zombie Lake.” Wubba! I’ve not seen it, but horror aficionados usually rank “Shock Waves” as the better movie….in so far as B movies can be better than one another.
I agree with you, Gretchen, The zombies were very effectively creepy. A lot of fans denigrate the flick as one of Cushing’s more lackluster efforts, being such a small budgeted film near the end of his career, but ya gotta give Peter points for the master thesp that he was, turning in a good performance despite the less than ideal conditions. He was a class act, wasn’t he? I’d love to see that featurette – I can’t imagine him sitiing in an IHOP, attacking a short stack!
I’ve never seen Zombie Lake either, but it was also on Wizard Video/Vestron Video. Wasn’t it a retitled Italian flick by Lucio Fulci or Luigi Cozzi or somebody?
According to IMDB, “Zombie Lake” is a French film. There might be more on the page that can answer your questions:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0081027/
There’s apparently another film called “Oasis of the Zombies” which may or may not have moist Nazi zombies in it. I can’t tell.
Cushing may have slipped in and out of his affected German accent like he slipped in and out of IHOP, but he was still quite menacing. He probably scared the waitresses half to death.
P.S. Dating myself here, but when I saw “Star Wars” in the theater as a kid I was more scared of Cushing’s Grand Moff Tarkin than I was Darth Vader. Gave me nightmares.
Clive Barker’s Hellraiser was pretty intense and unexpected, back when it was first released. Haven’t seen it since so I don’t know if it holds up.
It’s not my favorite by a long shot but the only horror film I could think of right away is: Mamma Mia
Scariest movie I have ever seen was “The Mothman Prophecies.”
I’ve got that coming up in my viewing stack – along with a copy of Primal Fear, which two friends are beating me over the head to watch. I guess I’ve been totally slacking on the Richard Gere product!
ET: Primal Fear is great! Forget Richard Gere…I’m not a fan either. But Edward Norton steals the show. I believe he was nominated for an Oscar for that roll. It’s a good one.
Bikerchick – Wasn’t this one of Norton’s first major roles? He looks like he was practically a teenager then, from some of the photos I’ve seen. Like you, I’m lukewarm when it comes to Richard Gere. I don’t dislike him, necessarily, and he’s a competent actor, but he’s never been one of my favorites. But, I’m really looking forward to watching it now…
Yes. And this performance got him noticed. Spot on! Anxious to here your review!
Come to think of it…Richard Gere was in another thriller movie with Kim Basinger and Uma Thurman. He played a psychologist. Can’t remember the name of the movie. It’s on the tip of my tongue……ugh…don’t get old…
A few years ago my husband and I along with a couple friends went to Point Pleasant and nosed around the TNT area . It was very creepy , even in the daytime.
Did you visit the Mothman Museum?
Yes , the dude that runs that is very interesting and knows his stuff about the mothman and the whole area. I’ve stayed at the Lowe hotel which is supposed to be haunted . It’s like walking back in time. Cool . Creepy. But I saw no ghost. I have been inside the Lakin State Hospital (which I believe has since been torn down) considered at one time as the “lobotomy capital of the east” . Now that was fuckin scary! We got run off by some podunk cop.
I have not been back in the past few years , now they have bus tours that take you out to TnT and a festival each September. I’m sure that stuff would be interesting and fun but it was cool to just snoop around with no supervision. Oh and the whole Chief Cornstalk curse deal is interesting if you like reading about that sort of thing.
I’m a big fan of classic horror films, and my husband and I spend many a weekend selling out-of-print dvds at various horror conventions around the tri-state area. (You can click the link in my user name to go to our on-line store). Since I’ve met many of the famous actors behind the masks, it’s hard to find them scary anymore.
I tend to be more creeped out than frightened by most horror movies. I don’t think I’ve been downright scared of a film since seeing “The Killer Shrews” from behind a sofa when I was about 8.
I can watch all the slasher and torture films there are without being affected. Nowadays, it’s the horrific imagery that gets to me. Superfreaky-looking and oddly-moving things really ook me out, and I sometimes find myself closing my eyes so I don’t have to see what’s going on.
Wotta cool site!!! It looks like you guys have a great selection!!! Did you ever setup at any of the Fanex conventions or Wonderfest or Chiller? If so, there’s a good chance I bought some of your product! I’ll have to take a good look through your selection – I’m on the lookout for a good dvd transfer of “The Headless Eyes” and “Super Soul Brother” (starring Wildman Steve!)
Thanks! Our version of “Headless Eyes” is pretty decent. I recently watched it with a roomful of horror bloggers, and we riffed our way through it MST-style.
We’ve never gone to Wonderfest or Fanex, but we just did our first Chiller this past spring. We were hoping to get a space for the upcoming show this month, but I think another vendor will have to die before there will ever be a spot available.
Oi! Retro – Then I’ll be contacting you soon!
“Killer Shrews”…amazing. I freaked a bit when they started biting through the wall to get in. . And walking out of the place in oil drums was genius. Always a fave of mine.
I can’t do horror films. My real life has been bad enough that I don’t need that crap in my thought process. However, “The Exorcist” stays with me. I swear, after I saw that movie, I just knew the devil was after my sinning soul. I read the book first, and I could feel my bed shaking at night. Satan is after me. Nope, I can’t do horror films. I know it probably doesn’t count, but I really liked “Sean of the Dead”. Funny scary is okay. But scary, scary. absolutely not.
I have a hard time watching that movie too. I get a little head cold 2 months after I watch the movie and I think I’m being possessed.
sean of the dead was a great movie
I love horrors!
B+W ; The Curse of the Werewolf; The Incredible Shrinking Man; Them!- with the giant ants; The Night of the Demon-which is ripe for a remake with Scarlet Johansen and Clive Owen!
The Legend of Hell House with a really freaky (even freakier than usual) Roddy McDowell was pretty scary.
Darkness Falls was surprisingly good.
The remake of Texas Chainsaw is pretty awsome.
Race with the Devil freaked me out as a kid.
The Omen and To the Devil a Daughter are really scary too.
All good stuff
My favorite horror movie of all all time is the wedding video of my first marriage. Gives me nightmares every time….
Yeah, it’s kinda cheesy, but I don’t know why I have to watch Videodrome every time it’s on.
“Long Live the New Flesh!”
Scariest and favorite are two different categories.
For scariest…
1) The Exorcist – As a Catholic schoolboy it freaked me out!
2) Texas Chainsaw Massacre(original) – Unrelenting terror that knew no bounds.
3) Night Of The Living Dead (original) – Unrelenting horror and released before movies were rated. Something young kids should have not seen back in 1968. A zombie child murdering her parents and the hero of the film getting killed in the end. Shocking…
4) Cannibal Holocaust -Filmed to make it appear to have actually happened. And actually had the killing of a large turtle which to me was incredibly disturbing. I never want to see that scene ever again.
5) Blair Witch Project – Actually just the very ending of this film. Creepy and unsettling.
Favorites…
1) The Thing (remake) – Straddles the scary and favorite category. The remake far outshines the original.
2) Bride of Frankenstein – Not only my favorite horror movie but one of my favorite films of all time. Works on so many levels and if you don’t shed a tear during the blind hermit/monster scene, you’re not human.
3) Horror of Dracula – Christopher Lee is Dracula. No one else comes close to capturing that calculated evil.
4) The Fly (remake) – An outstanding performance by Jeff Goldblum.
5) Re-Animator – Woah, the stuff contained here was shocking on a couple different fronts. A severed head and a naked co-ed and I shall say no more!
To ponder… I don’t know why The Shining gets mentioned so many times as scary. It had it’s moments, for me most notably the twin girls, but overall not that scary. I find this movie listed a lot by women, and more specifically by women who don’t particularly like horror films. Maybe the raging husband with the ax resonates more with them.
I find guys who laugh at extreme horror/gore are trying to cover up the fact that they are scared shitless. Instead of screaming, they laugh.
Forgot to mention The Omen and Hellraiser.
Am not going to see The Human Centipede. Once those experiences/images are burned into your brain they are there for good!
DC – we’re on the same page regarding horror films; our lists are so similar. I didn’t mention Carpenter’s “The Thing” on my list because I kept it in the sci-fi category (even though it’s much scarier than 99% of horror films). Not only is it in my top ten sci-fi films of all time, it’s probably in my top 20 movies of alltime, period! Did you know that there is an annual convention devoted to JUST that film? I’m not sure if it still runs every year – I used to have the site bookmarked…
The Shining – I thought that the singlemost scary moment in that film was the elederly woman’s corpse rising from the bathtub. It really jolted me when I first saw the film during its original theatrical run.
Evil Twin – Yes, very similar. I also believe we have a similar profession.
I had forgotten about the elderly woman in The shining.
It’s scary enough seeing one clambering out of a bathtub, let alone a corpse!
My wife still hasn’t forgiven me for taking her to The Thing. That scared the crap outta her along with Angel Heart.
Good lists. Very accurate decription of NOLD and good points re, The Shining.
If “The Shining” was just a film about a husband going berserker, then there would be a host of other films I would like just as much. I don’t think the film can be reduced to that sort of slasher flick. On the surface it’s about a haunted hotel that imposes it’s will on the family inside. And the way it insidiously does that — the way it fucks with everyone’s head — is horrifying. The imagery is disturbing (the blood in the elevator, the twins, the men in Halloween costumes engaged in a sexual act, even the fact that everything in the hotel is overwhelmingly symmetrical and clearly imposing it’s will on the occupants), the musical score is quite effective, the sense of dread and madness is palatable and maintained and heightened throughout the film, and of course the boy is suitably freaky. But what’s really scary about the film is that Kubrick leaves some ambiguity as to whether it’s actually a haunted hotel or if the people have just gone completely loopy. I’ll let Mr. Ebert explain it better:
http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060618/REVIEWS08/606180302/1023
Dewd, that’s some deep shit.
Though my repeated incorrect use of “it’s” might be just as horrifying.
Yeah – what in the hell were those masked guys doing, anyway? Looking back on it, that scene almost appears to be a forethought to smilar visuals in Eyes Wide Shut! But you nailed it, I think – Kubrick always used ambiguity to his advantage.
I believe one was giving head to the other.
there’s a scene like it in ‘The League of Gentlemen’s Apocalypse’ its from the BBC series of the same name. Here’s a clip with its scariest character, Papa Lazarou. Its very dark comedy at its best!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XM9x5tefjcY&feature=related
In no particular order:
-Psycho
-The Birds
-Poltergeist (“They’re heeeere” and “It’s the TV people”–are lines I still use to this day!)
-Even though it is probably an action/sci-fi film, I think the original “Alien” movie was pretty terrifying. As a teen, I never could watch the whole thing in one sitting!
-Also, the first “Halloween” movie ended with a terrific bang–“Maybe he really is the Bogie Man.”
I prefer movies that screw with your brain as oppposed to seeing guts and gore. Gore doesn’t scare me (well, except for Al!)
Plus Poltergeist was a “cursed” movie set, google it and see, so many people in that movie came to untimely ends or other such nonsense. Creepy.
I can’t believe I forgot and no one else mentioned
“Bubba Ho Tep”
Best Elvis-impersonator horror film!!
Don’t forget one of the most memorable JFK impersonations. EVER.
But of course.
I remember being scared shitless from “the little girl that lives down the lane” , that was late 70’s . I was in elementary school. I think it is more of a thriller than horror . A young Jodie Foster starred in it. I had forgotten all about that movie , I would like to see it again.
Cool! I just bought a copy of that last week — it was one of those films that frightened me in my younger days.
I just saw that they have it on netfix ! I’m going to watch it first chance I get !
I guess no update today, eh? Jeff didn’t even update FE, BC or WSVR Classic. All this horror film talk has me thinking the worst. Like maybe he got a flat tire last night on the way home but while he was trying to get to the spare it rolled down into a holler and some hillbilly zombie creatures caught him and ate his brain? Or maybe you have a better explanation, I mean we didn’t even get one of his lame “I overslept” comments.
Or worse, it ate his butt….and he like it.
I laughed my ass off while watching The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. Leatherface was fucking crazy.
Trying to think back to some and “The Tingler” comes to mind.That one got me pretty good. My wife has said before she saw it at the theater and totally freaked at that ending. Remember that one?
Sounds like a porno. 😉
Yeah…I thought that when I typed it out. Maybe “The Tickling Tingler” or something. Good name for some sort of marital aid too I suppose.
Hell, I’d use it. 😉
The Others was a very creepy and atmospheric.
Oh I loved that , it was really clever and not so easy to figure out.. Many horror, slasher and thrillers are just too obvious. This kept me guessing.