<<<-- Originally posted by Matt Stahley :

Slumber Party Massacre - another classic trapped in the house run from the power tool killer film. -->>>

I have seen Slumber Party Massacre more than any other horror film except Tremors (which arguably isn't horror).


Rob, I was surprised too that Event Horizon turned out to be horror.

I had read the book adaptation and knew what I was in for. Movie book tie-ins, my guilty pleasure!

hwm

Dylan: yeah exactly... although it had some very interesting art
design etc. From what I remember there where some cool looking
shots in it.

Scariest film ever made: The Haunting of Hill House, a 1960s-era adaptation of the Shirley Jackson novel of the same name. This film had no special effects whatsoever and, at least for me, was the most terrifying thing I've ever seen.

<<<-- Originally posted by Paul Tauger : Scariest film ever made: The Haunting of Hill House, a 1960s-era adaptation of the Shirley Jackson novel of the same name. This film had no special effects whatsoever and, at least for me, was the most terrifying thing I've ever seen. -->>>

Not available through Netflix unfortunately. :(

I found new VHS copies on . . . where else? Ebay.

There's also a decent transfer out on DVD.

<<<-- Originally posted by Paul Tauger : Scariest film ever made: The Haunting of Hill House, a 1960s-era adaptation of the Shirley Jackson novel of the same name. This film had no special effects whatsoever and, at least for me, was the most terrifying thing I've ever seen. -->>>

I think you're talking about The Haunting (1963) (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0057129/). My screenwriting teacher at USC wrote that movie. Huh. According to IMDb, he passed away last year. I hadn't heard.

There's also The House on Haunted Hill (1959) (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0051744/).

Both films were remade in '99.

The Haunting ('63) was a SCARY flick! I own the DVD. Or is it the original House on Haunted Hill that I own...

heath

I think you're talking about The Haunting (1963) (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0057129/). My screenwriting teacher at USC wrote that movie. Huh. According to IMDb, he passed away last year. I hadn't heard.
You're right -- it's "The Haunting" which was the film version of The Haunting of Hill House. I remember the remake -- it was awful. But the original . . . ahhh!

"Hill House, where walls met walls and floors met floors and doors were sensibly shut. And whatever walked in Hill House . . . walked alone."

Last year, I took my girlfriend to see "Wrong Turn". About 2 weeks later we went for drive in the country and I pretended to be one of those wackos in the movie...she flipped out. I had her thinking I was taking her into the woods and was going to "drop her off at a remote barn where my buddy was waiting". lol...I'm so bad.

Oh, also.....anyone see "Session 9" about the Danvers, MA mental hospital? If you haven't...rent it. I live about 30 minutes from that place and it's creepy...after watching it I told my girlfriend I was taking her there. She flipped out about that too...

Needless to say, my girlfriend hates watching horror movies with me. The movies get it all going...and I seem to scare the crap out of her afterwards!!! lol

<<<-- Originally posted by Christopher C. Murphy :
Oh, also.....anyone see "Session 9" about the Danvers, MA mental hospital? If you haven't...rent it.

-->>>

I saw it and it didn't do anything for me.. The steadicam work was certainly quite competent though.

Session 9--first film released somewhat wide in theatres shot on the CineAlta. I forget the indie film that was the first to shoot with it in 2000 before Star Wars Ep. 2...

heath

Heath, I'm pretty sure the first theatrical release of an HD 24p film was "Jackpot". It was before SW...here is a link:

http://hd24.com/hd_feature_reviews.htm

I never saw it and I can't recall hearing it was very good.

I will look up a magazine from 2001 that talks about the first shot film on the F900. It's probably that one and probably they changed the name.

heath

<<<-- Originally posted by Robert Knecht Schmidt: I think you're talking about The Haunting (1963) (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0057129/). My screenwriting teacher at USC wrote that movie. Huh. According to IMDb, he passed away last year. I hadn't heard. -->>>

If I hadn't found out last week, I would have found out tonight. Nelson Gidding had a slide in the "In Memoriam" presentation on the Oscars tonight. Gidding was himself a nominee for his screenplay I Want to Live (1958). Godspeed, doc.

Sorry to revive a very old thread... but my 6-year old son is WAY into the classic black and white Universal horror flicks... and who am I as an indulgent parent, to refuse, right?

Anyway, it's reintroduced me to some of these really early ones, and watching them now, with 40-year-old eyes, I can see why they're considered classics. Great cinematography and editing, but what really stands out to me is the straightforward way they spin a good yarn. Very refreshing when so many horror movies today seem to depend on a cool CGI monster and lots of gore to make up for a lousy script.

Here's a few my boy and I have really, really liked lately:

Bride of Frankenstein (1933): I realize now I knew this movie more through Mel Brooks' "Young Frankenstein," than the original. So, I was completely unprepared for how effecting this movie is, and how sorry I felt for Frankenstein's monster when his only hope for a friend psychotically hisses in his face.

Werewolf of London: Aside from the fact that this is the wimpiest werewolf of all time (he can't even handle one lone, middle-aged English gent), the storytelling is really strong. Nicely paced, decent thriller.

Invisible Man: Claude Rains is amazing in this one! Oozing psychotic menace! And the special effects are really ingenious. I enjoyed imagining the crew trying to figure out how to operate a pistol in mid-air, with no visible wires, and of course, no CGI/blue screen to make it easy.

Most of these, together with their campy, B-Movie sequels, have been reissued on DVD as parts of Universal Studios "Legacy Collection." Even if you don't watch all the feature films, check out the theatrical trailer collections.

Cat People was kind of cool when it came out on the big screen.

I recall fondly sitting with my dad on the stoop of our little tract house in Denver, a million years ago, as he told me the tales of the old Universal monster movies. They'd scared him as a boy, too.

I might have been six and was always terrified to hear of Van Helsing's stealthy creep through the catacombs beneath Dracula's castle, armed only with a hammer and stake; of the scene when the Monster first reappeared in Frankenstein's lab by entering backward, like a dumb machine; and of the horrible moment when the mask was ripped from Erik's face and his skull-like features were revealed deep under the Paris Opera House.

I'd sit there, transfixed, as the streetlights came on and fireflies twinkled over the evening lawns, and my dad (I now know) delighted in scaring the poo out of me. But he always escorted me back inside, where the warm kitchen glowed and my mom waited with dinner ready. Dad would very methodically lock the front door--to keep out the night, I thought, with all its ghoulies and ghosties.

All these miles down the road, I'm married with a house of my own to lock up at night. I know all too well about the real world and the horrors it can produce. I understand the popularity of celluloid Wolfmen and Vampires for a country just waking, in the 1930s and 40s, to the mass-murder that stormed across Europe.

Movies have changed, because the world has changed. But I prefer the cozy safety of those silvery old mellerdramas, with their half-tragic heroes. They feel like childhood and give me a thrill to this day.

JS

The Exorcist and Jaws scared me the most.

But a couple of tv-movies: Trilogy of Terror segment "Prey," about the Zuni fetish doll with the big teeth.

Burnt Offerings-same people made it--some really spooky stuff-especially the ending.

And the Dark Secret of Harvest Home. Havent seen it in forever but it spooked me badly back then.

Dark Night of the Scarecrow

and
back to theaters:

Race with the Devil

Kelley - those are some great movies.

I totally remember Karen Black chased by the Zuni doll.

If it's not earlier in the thread, get your umbrellas out for... The Devil's Rain!!

Ernest Borgnine is terrifying! Then they put the goat makeup on, he not so scary.

Has anyone brought up the Hammer production of 'The Devil Rides Out'? A lost Hammer classic, IMO.

Just saw the devil rides out last week, had to return the disc cause it was bad. Fun movie, listening to the commentary with christopher lee is cool. He's a virtual library of the paranormal!

sam raimi's......EVIL DEAD

Don't apologize, this is great! Horror films we don't want: any movie of ANY genre with Ashton Kutcher!

heath

But a couple of tv-movies: Trilogy of Terror segment "Prey," about the Zuni fetish doll with the big teeth.


Yeah, that zuni doll scene totally freaked me out. I don't know if any movie has ever scared me that much.

When I saw it again more recently I was particularly spooked by the very last shot with her sitting in the corner stabbing the floor with the knife. Scary!

Another tv movie--Night Gallery, was kinda spooky too-the Roddy McDowell episode with the ever changing painting. Pretty cheap effects but it sure worked for me.

Jacob's Ladder

The Others
The Grudge
Dawn of the Dead (remake). I've liked all the zombie movies from Resident Evils to Shaun of the Dead, but this is my favorite.

on the low budget side of things..

May
Dead Birds

rosemary's baby , ninth gate... realistic films that subtly hint at the supernatural, using audiences imagination to scare

Unless I missed it.... has anyone mentioned Black Christmas?

Classic horror flick!
My family watches it every year... :)

"The Omen" my favorite Gerry Goldsmith score! and good acting...
"The Sentinel" scared me when I was little.
"Mother's Day" 1st slasher I saw at the theaters. Didn't sleep for a week!
"Phantasm" a little dated now but still some memorable creepy scenes...

House of 1,000 Corpses (Dir. Rob Zombie)
I recommend this movie to every horror fan. Although its plot isn't anything new, the characters are memorable, and each scene is more bizarre than the one before. The movie wastes no time and packs a lot of terror (and dark humor) into it's 76 or so minutes. The movie contains some of the most grotesque and cruel torture scenes on film, and a lot of memorable lines.

"Run, rabbit!"
"It's all true. The boogeyman is real."
. . . and any of Sid Haig's lines :)

The sequel, The Devil's Rejects, did nothing for me because it completely ignored the intriguing back stories. In retrospect, a movie about Dr. Satan would have been more fun than yet another serial-killers-on-the-run-from-the-law flick.

I'm interested in the TX Chainsaw Massacre 2, which comes out Oct. 6. I haven't seen the remake of the original, but I will before seeing the new one. The original Tobe Hooper movie definitely freaked me out as kid though.

I'm just glad none of you mentioned Uwe Boll's movies.

http://www.aintitcool.com/node/30194

heath

Jack Nicholson's descent into madness in 'The Shining'. And the sound of the kid riding his big wheel down the hallway, from carpet to wood and back; knowing that he was going to turn a corner and see those two girls in front of the elevator.

Best adaptation of a King novel.

"All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy..."

Freaky.

I'm just glad none of you mentioned Uwe Boll's movies.

http://www.aintitcool.com/node/30194

heath

Ha.. I've seen a couple of them. They're so bad they should be the subject of a film making course in how not to make a movie.. especially BloodRayne. "Alone in the Dark" was also a crime against humanity.

Who gives that guy money?

Speaking of Tobe Hooper

the original Salem's Lot is often overlooked-I thought they were the scariest vampires since Nosferatu
-the kids floating to the window always creeped me out

anyone remember a Rod Serling narrated show (not Night Gallery) called Encounter with the Unknown where one of the stories was about a hole in the ground--and at the end this farmer is lowered on a rope into it and when they pull him out he has gone crazy?
another one had this guy pick up a hitchiker with really weird eyes


another rare tv one Dead of Night: the last episode about the kid who comes back from the dead one stormy night to visit his mother.
Turns out he didnt come back--he wanted revenge on his overbearing mother so he sent..someone else...
bwahahaha

the Night Gallery pilot was pretty good, mainly the Roddy MacDowell painting on the wall episode was creeeepy. I would kill for one of those prop paintings. That would be a great trick to pull on someone.

Thought I'd throw in my two cents worth. These are in no particualr order.

The Uninvited (1944). Ray Milland and Ruth Hussey are brother and sister who rent an old house, only to find it's inhabited by ghosts. No overly-cheesy effects (pretty good for 1944) and some solid acting.

Martin. Romero's vampire movie. Worth checking out. Our hero, Martin, is an 81 year-old vampire, wh looks 18. He doesn't use teeth anymore, but prefers to use sodium pentathol and razor blades on his victims.

Phantasm. The ads freaked me out as a kid (I was three when it came out). Finally got to see it as a teenager. I love the scene where the boy is in the antique store and picks up an old picture, and the picture comes to life.

Creepshow. Never liked cockroaches.

The Day After. Yeah, made for tv with Steve Guttenberg. But I had nuke-mares for months after seeing it. Haven't had the nerve to watch it again since it aired.

Johnny Got His Gun. I know it's not technically a horror movie, but it scared the living bleep out of me.

Something Wicked This Way Comes. I just noticed in my list Jason Robards has appeared three times. Jonathan Price makes a wonderful villian. Love the scenes inside the library.

Halloween. I went the night before Halloween this year to the theater to see it on a big screen. It held up well. One of the few movies I've been to in a long time that people actually watched the movie, and didn't get cellphone calls, talk to each other, make out, etc. Still has a couple of jump-able moments. One guy outside the theater complained there wasn't enough blood. I worry about people like that. . . .

Oh, and on that note, I want to see what Rob Zombie will do with Halloween. I liked House of a 1000 corpses for what it was, doing a good bad 1970s horror film with updated language and gore. Getting Karen Black was perfect. I liked Devil's Rejects because it wasn't a horror film, but an homage to crime-does-not-pay movies like Bonnie and Clyde and The Wild Bunch.

There was a film called 'Superstition' when I was a kid, and it scared me sh**less! I'd love to see it again, but I can't find it anywhere.

It starts with a couple of guys scaring people by hanging a dummy from a tree, then they go into a house and get killed. There was a scene with a head in a microwave that really got me at the time.

I've read through here and there are some movies I'd long forgotten! Thanks for bringing it all back. However, there are some that have been left out, but noteworthy:

- Halloween - mentioned, yes, and quite possibly my all time favorite
- Alien - the original, best sci-fi horror movie, in my opinion
- The Shining - although the book is better (don't read it in the dark!), Jack Nicholson makes this movie the classic it is
- Jaws - I still don't swim in water I can't see in!
- Fatal Attraction - scared the @#$% out of every man in America!
- Friday the 13th - forget all the sequels...when that kid jumped out of the water, I about @#$% myself!
- The House that Screamed (http://www.dvdmaniacs.net/Reviews/E-H/house_that_screamed.html) - I watched this when I was a kid (it came out in '69). It was in Spanish, subtitled and terrifying! The next morning, I would NOT come out from under the covers because I KNEW there was someone standing over the bed with a knife.

I know there are others, but I just can't think of 'em right now.....

I can't believe nobody has mentioned, The Descent.

Fantastic editing keeps you guessing where the next jump is coming from. It restored my faith in the genre.

Takes a Brit to do it properly ;)

TT

Black Sunday. Scared the piss out of me when I was a kid. This is from a child who fell asleep watching The Birds for the first time... right after the schoolmarm was found with her eyes pecked out.

The Shining was truly brilliant. And only two people die in it... And one by freezing. King was silly to attempt a remake of Kubrick's masterpiece.

If you're looking for gruesome... and gross: Make Them Die Slowly

I know it's been mentioned a few times in this thread but for me, the scariest film by a country mile over everything else is "The Exorcist".

I've been trying to work out why this film had such a profound effect on me, and still can't quite put my finger on it. My best guess is that you have two 'mortal' good guys trying to battle an 'immortal' evil with no possible way of ever defeating it. It was always a case of a bad outcome, just how bad was what needed to be ascertained from the storyline.

Either way this film genuinely scared me.

After that I'd have to say "The Changeling" followed by "Session 9"