Poltergeist scared the crap out of me. And as a kid, I screamed and ran out of the theatre crying at some dinosaur movie. I've never seen it again, and don't remember the name...

Scott, so Pascagoula is too big for Mississippi? Just center it in the USA?
(I was born in P'goula)

<<<-- Originally posted by Michael Westphal : Poltergeist And as a kid, I screamed and ran out of the theatre crying at some dinosaur movie. I've never seen it again, and don't remember the name...
-->>>

Was it Land Before Time?


Sorry, I couldn't resist. :)


Anyway, I wanted to add Nosferatu to my personal list. And yeah, The Mummy isn't the most exciting or scary horror movie ever, but something draws me to it. I dunno, maybe I'm strange.


And as for Savini's '90 remake of NOTLD, it isn't the original by any means, but I do like it. It's better than 98% of the zombie films out there, but it's hard to judge it against THE zombie film of all time.

Which "Nosferatu," Dylan? Murnau's or Herzog's remake?

"Dead Ringers" is more about psychological breakdown than supernatural horror, but it's pretty creepy.

JS

Just finished watching The Fog with 2 minutes to spare before Halloween was over. SCARY! Forget the remake, though...

heath

<<<-- Originally posted by John Sandel : Which "Nosferatu," Dylan? Murnau's or Herzog's remake?

-->>>

The original with Max Schreck. I confess I have not seen the remake.

Herzog's remake is fantastic. Most beautiful vampire film ever rendered.
Forget Coppola's Crapula. Tiresome, overwrought.

Strange and frightening films I favor:

Herzog's Nosferatu (1979)

Begotten, (1991) by E. Merhige

films by The Brothers Quay (collection of shorts, Institute Benjamenta)

The Fall Of The House Of Usher (1928, mind, by Jean Epstein, with help from Bunuel; wild stuff!)

Vampyr (1932, by Carl Theodor Dreyer. eerie, dreamlike)

Tetsuo: The Iron Man, (1989) by Shinya Tsukamoto

Hey Michael,

Yes, right in the heart of Kansas! You were born here and I am stuck here (at least for the time being). What's going on in BR that would make you leave such an exciting town?

a lot of the movies mentioned were very good here are some more recent good ones,

Session 9
Pitch Black
Event Horizon (poor ending)
the others

Definitely good picks. Event Horizon scared me pretty good, it's a bit under-rated.

heath

Now that October's done, do we have to change the subject to the most frightening presidential elections ...?

I haven't seen "Tetsuo," but I've heard it's comparable in its strangeness to "Eraserhead."

"Begotten" struck me wrong, I think: amateurish, tedious in parts. But very much Merhige's own, interior poetic vision. (His "Shadow of the Vampire," a conflation of Murnau and his myth, was pretty innocuous.)

The Quay brothers are amazing. I wouldn't call their mood "horror," but there's definitely something unsettling about the dreamlike claustrophobia they cobble together.

Shawn, I've never seen Epstein's "House Of Usher." Is it out on DVD? How's the print?

I liked "Session 9." Their location blew me away---apparently that old hospital was just standing on its grounds, like a ragged derelict ... some of the rooms they shot in required no set-dressing. Brad Anderson's new picture, "The Machinist," looks like it may be pretty strong work.

JS

My wife's favorite is "The Birds." Especially the scene where they found the old person with her eyes plucked out!

Hi John.

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B00005ABVH/qid=1099369245/sr=1-2/ref=sr_1_2/002-0100329-3840022?v=glance&s=dvd

The printer of Usher is plenty watchable, and the medieval music used as score is a good part of what makes this film so incredible to watch. A must own, for me at least! The most modern film to come out of the twenties I've ever seen.


My above list was partly a liberty taken to present some interesting films not usually mentioned in a lot of circles, and indeed, I don't feel terribly partial to many horror genre films, so I did what I could to contribute here.
Upon this reflection, films that have creeped me out over the years are as follows...

more recently:

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, the original

jesus, this film is so rough and raw and f**ked up, it's admirable (from a distance).

American Psycho

Very very disturbing and scary. Young Mr. Bale has my utmost respect. Because of him am I curious in The Machinist. Talk about an underrated film.
Brilliant.

Angel Heart

Somehow, all of the films I've mentioned are period films. The 70s, the 80s, and, with Angel Heart, the 40s and 50s. This film, while utilizing some little-too- obvious sound-derived atmospherics, threw me for a loop, because of such grounded performances from Rourke and Bonet, and because of such detailed work with New Orleans and voodoo images.

Hellraiser

This one, and it's worthwhile sequel, had me intrigued as a teenager. The puzzle box, the sense of transition into otherworldliness when it finally opened, and the exploration of judgement and soul. The most striking monsters I've seen in these kinds of films.

The Shining

Probably the first scary film I'd ever seen. The most memorable at any rate.
Those twin girls appearing everywhere! Running scared through the snow covered maze at night. Dead woman in the tub. A benchmark for me as a very budding film enthusiast.

CANDYMAN
 

CANDYMAN
CANDYMAN
CANDYMAN
CANDYMAN
CANDYMAN

(waits)

Roger, make sure you post again tomorrow, just so we know you are safe....

Halloween!
 

Any Horror film that doesn't use computers is what I like...

Halloween scared the crap out of me when I was like 9 years old. My parents wouldn't let me watch it, so I snuck into the living room and hide behind the couch while they watched it. I remember being SOOO scared and wishing I'd never seen it. How terrifiying is that?? You're 9 years old and you can't tell your mommy you're scared of something because you'll get into trouble!! It's like 2 nightmares in 1!

Halloween's the best. The scene where she stabs him in the eye with the coat hanger - then she sits in the doorway. You seem him in the background out of focus sit up and turn towards her (us!). That is CLASSIC horror...you see something the actor doesn't and start yelling at the screen. Also, you feel like he's after you because the angle of the shot is such that he's looking directly at YOU and her!!

Any raw pre-computer age Horror is great!

Murph