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Posted: Tue Jun 06, 2006 2:55 pm
by Chris Corbyn
Hmm..

Not sure. Not really into horror but... The Shining?

Posted: Tue Jun 06, 2006 3:27 pm
by shiznatix
movies generally don't scare me, usually derived from the fact that i hate most movies. but i would definatly say that 'The Shining' was realy scary expecially since i was yet a lad when i saw it but it is still really good.

Best Horror Movie: The Shining.

Best of the Past Year: Hostel

EDIT:
Hmm..

Not sure. Not really into horror but... The Shining?
didn't even notice there was this 2nd page so I hadn't read this yet. I completly agree.

Posted: Tue Jun 06, 2006 3:29 pm
by Chris Corbyn
I just thought of another good one:
Who wrote:I ate his liver with some flava beans and a nice chianti...

Posted: Tue Jun 06, 2006 3:33 pm
by Burrito
have any of you seen the Changeling?

Posted: Tue Jun 06, 2006 3:58 pm
by Chris Corbyn
Burrito wrote:have any of you seen the Changeling?
Nah, it keeps changing...

Posted: Tue Jun 06, 2006 4:09 pm
by Burrito
I think I might rent it when I get back from my vaca to see if it still freaks me out :P

Posted: Tue Jun 06, 2006 4:25 pm
by Maugrim_The_Reaper
Anymoe, probably a harsh general assessment. But it's my "general feeling" of the genre. When I think horror movie I keep thinking of The Shining, Poltergeist, the original Omen, and lots of others. But they all seem to have been made 70's/80's. Very little jumps out of the late 90's to present that strike me as "real I'm-shuddering-in-terror horror". Maybe "disturbing" would work better to describe those later ones...

I forgot about Saw, not bad. But then I saw Saw II... House, traps, TV muppet, yada, yada, yawn.

M. Night Shyamalan, not horror, but very cool. Big fan. Waiting for next one coming soon :).

I should note I have this bad attitude to horror/action movies of the late 90's/00's - probably a numbers game, quantity up, quality down. Still gems, just not so many... For some reason I can watch Mad Max repeatably and munch my popcorn gleefully but can barely remember most movies from that 90-00 period I could enjoy watching more than twice with an extended cooling off period.

Given I spent three paragraphs on this, I think I'm a cranky old fart at the ripe old age of 28...

"Now, in my day we had REAL movies...", said grandpa Maug. :)

Posted: Tue Jun 06, 2006 4:31 pm
by Christopher
I think there is a distinction between horror and slasher movies -- the latter almost completely displacing the former these days.
Maugrim_The_Reaper wrote:M. Night Shyamalan, not horror, but very cool. Big fan. Waiting for next one coming soon :).
I liked The Sixth Sense, but everything else has been pretty terrible (ok except maybe Stuart Little ;)) and movies like Signs end up as the butt of jokes -- just aweful.

Posted: Tue Jun 06, 2006 5:10 pm
by timvw
Imho horror is about humor and softporn :p

Posted: Tue Jun 06, 2006 5:30 pm
by Burrito
timvw wrote:....and softporn :p
tamavgd

Posted: Tue Jun 06, 2006 8:28 pm
by sweatje
I saw Seven when my wife was pregnant with our first child, that did not sit too well.

Posted: Tue Jun 06, 2006 9:34 pm
by alex.barylski
Zombie movies are my favourite...

That series with Bruce Campbell....the first two were pretty creepy in a old school sort'a way :)

Night of the living dead...

Exorcist...scared the jesus out of me...

I'm agnostic...and don't believe much that can't be scientifically proven...but I still get the chills when I watch movies like that... :P

Aracnphobia...scariest movies ever...same with 8 legged freaks...

I hate spiders and insects so much...I'm border line paranoid...

Posted: Wed Jun 07, 2006 8:31 am
by erupt
Maugrim_The_Reaper wrote:There's a zero in there isn't there? And a 20. ;) You've been watching too many Omen trailers...which I can't see myself seeing since the trailer makes it look like just like the original one or two movies in the series. Damian on a tricycle, damian on a swing, damian with a big black hellhound, damian with his babysitter hanging from the roof... Even the priest looks like he'll be getting the iron-bar impalement treatment...

Nothing original in US horror movies anymore.

Haha you're pretty right over there, i saw the movie yesterday .. it was enjoyable but very close to the original. *Spoiler* :) - The priest does get the iron bar impalement treatment ..

Posted: Wed Jun 07, 2006 8:39 am
by Roja
Maugrim_The_Reaper wrote:Anymoe, probably a harsh general assessment. But it's my "general feeling" of the genre. When I think horror movie I keep thinking of The Shining, Poltergeist, the original Omen, and lots of others. But they all seem to have been made 70's/80's. Very little jumps out of the late 90's to present that strike me as "real I'm-shuddering-in-terror horror". Maybe "disturbing" would work better to describe those later ones...
Subtle but important distinction - you prefer psychological thrillers, as opposed to the general Horror genre.

Movies like Poltergeist (the original, not the sequels), Psycho, and even Silence of the Lambs, are mentally frightening. The horror is not in the blood, violence, or shocking turns that come around corners, but a slow building mental fear.

The challenge with movies of that type is that there is a substantial risk. One man's fear is another's joke. It takes a very delicate balance, good acting, solid writing, and above all, careful filming to pull it off. Worse, unlike the general genre, adding almost ANY humor to the mix can easily ruin it.

Movies are (for better or worse) about making money. The genre shifted dramatically in the 80's because of the success of Nightmare on Elm Street. Here was a movie made for pennies on the dollar, that broke the general rule of horror movies to take themselves seriously. Seeing a movie that combined horror with humor (which topped the rental chart for YEARS to come), Hollywood changed its equation.

Thats not to say that there are no good Psychological thrillers anymore, but its far less common after Elm Street for Hollywood to approve a pure-play Psych-thriller. I highly recommend the movie "Willard". Its a remake of a 70's flick, so I can't claim its original, but its in my mind a fantastic example of what can still be done right in horror. Its undeniably disgusting, has plenty of gore, but the real rush comes from the mental buildup of a downtrodden man getting revenge - in a painful and destructive manner (and using Rats to boot!).
Maugrim_The_Reaper wrote:I forgot about Saw, not bad. But then I saw Saw II... House, traps, TV muppet, yada, yada, yawn.
I completely agree. Sadly, once Hollywood has a hit, they stamp it with the word "Franchise", and churn out crap sequels that destroy the very things that made the original a hit.
Maugrim_The_Reaper wrote:M. Night Shyamalan, not horror, but very cool. Big fan. Waiting for next one coming soon :).
His upcomings are a Fantasy, and another non-horror. I'd love to see him dig in and do a solid horror movie. (The Woods didn't count, in my opinion).
Maugrim_The_Reaper wrote:I should note I have this bad attitude to horror/action movies of the late 90's/00's - probably a numbers game, quantity up, quality down. Still gems, just not so many... For some reason I can watch Mad Max repeatably and munch my popcorn gleefully but can barely remember most movies from that 90-00 period I could enjoy watching more than twice with an extended cooling off period.
There was a substantial fallout from the success of Elm Street, and it did substantially erode the genre. I think prior to Elm Street, we had a much better balance between true psych horror, and gore/violence/humor horror.

It is definitely a numbers game, and you are correct - since then, the numbers have been seriously biased on the "Elm Street" side. Another part of that issue is the current American backlash against non-family movies in general. If a studio can only "risk" so much money, and "anger" so many conservative viewers, they have to do serious cost benefit analysis on each flick. Unfortunately, the numbers deeply favor Elm Street style movies. Older teenagers will sneak in, adult movie goers will go for the humor, and if they are lucky, they'll spawn a Franchise (witness Final Destination). There are notable exceptions to the rule, but not enough to change the percentages substantially.

Personally, I'm a HUGE fan of Horror movies in all formats. Slasher, comedy, parody, psych-thriller, original, old-school, zombies, and yes, even B-movies (Bride of Re-Animator!) - I love the genre as a whole.

Horror (in total) has definitely not lost its originality, but yes, in the quest for a "sure thing", Hollywood has preferred less psychological fare - resulting in that sub-genre being poorly represented.