I needs horror!

geneweigel · Post by **geneweigel** » Mon Sep 17, 2007 7:01 pm

Jacob's Ladder is one of those cerebral horrors like Videodrome in a way (eg what does it mean? Whats going on?; etc.)

I wish that I can just pull one out of a hat for ya but I haven't thought about it in years...

TRP · Post by **TRP** » Mon Sep 17, 2007 7:55 pm

Decent creepy flicks:
Prince of Darkness (1987, John Carpenter)
Needful Things (1993)

Non-Dracula vampire movies from the '70s:
House of Dark Shadows (1970)
The Night Stalker (1972)
Salem's Lot (1979)

Dwayanu · Post by **Dwayanu** » Mon Sep 17, 2007 10:02 pm

"Lord of Illusion" (or something similar) about a stage magician and a sorcerous cult leader.

SightblinderX · Post by **SightblinderX** » Tue Sep 18, 2007 1:56 am

Dwayanu wrote:"Lord of Illusion" (or something similar) about a stage magician and a sorcerous cult leader.

Lord Of Illusions - starring Scot Bakula as a PI. Yeah, that stage magician is a sorcerer too...

Mythmere · Post by **Mythmere** » Tue Sep 18, 2007 9:08 am

Pan's Labyrinth is an excellent movie, with major supernatural elements, but the horror really comes from the human (ie, non supernatural) side. The supernatural side is more ... magical realism, I guess; it's threatening and suspenseful, but the supernatural part is not horrific.

I'd say it comes close to your specs but misses them slightly. Still a very good movie if you haven't seen it.

Dwayanu · Post by **Dwayanu** » Tue Sep 18, 2007 10:59 am

When I saw "Pan's Labyrinth," there was a projection problem: The screen went black for the climactic scene (although the sound kept on).

The horror!

Mythmere · Post by **Mythmere** » Tue Sep 18, 2007 11:12 am

Dwayanu wrote:When I saw "Pan's Labyrinth," there was a projection problem: The screen went black for the climactic scene (although the sound kept on).

The horror!

That would really and truly suck. Fortunately, it's never happened to me, because I get nasty in situations like that. Our old veterinarian fired me after my reaction to a screw-up on their part. Who gets fired by their vet? It's like a friend of mine said once, "I didn't think you could get thrown out of Burger King. I mean, I thought you could light the place on fire and the guy behind the counter would just be asking if you'd like fries with that..."

On the other hand, I usually get well compensated when someone spoils an experience I paid for, screws up a job or wastes my time. And I'm also the sort of person who stops a manager to tell him that an employee did a *good* job instead of only complaining about bad experiences. I'm comfortable with it.

geneweigel · Post by **geneweigel** » Tue Sep 18, 2007 11:36 am

My wife seen PL and said that I had to see it. So I had a completely different take on it. Early on I became fixated on the huge bias of the political depictions. So by the time I got around to her asking me what I thought about it I was like,"What do you mean? COMMUNIST TERRORISM IS INHERENTLY GOOD'S LABYRITNH? Well..." For me it was really hard to focus on the fantasy at all in that movie but what I did get out of it was a style that I usually associate with Wizards of the Coast's Magic the Gathering or their D&D efforts by default. I specifically recall seeing a Minotaur "game card" in a game store once that resembled that "satyr" creature in the film.

geneweigel · Post by **geneweigel** » Mon Sep 24, 2007 8:16 am

geneweigel wrote:I haven't see the THE GIANT SPIDER INVASION since 1975 when I was 7 years old but I'm afraid that its going to seem cheap if I watch it today. () Remember the geodes with the spider's in them? I actually found real geodes when I was a kid and thought they were giant spider eggs...

I just ordered it...

I'm afraid...

Holy cats! This movie fails the critics immensely...

That said lets burn all the critics with flamethrowers like they did to the queen ants in "THEM"!

I can see why this film left such an indelible mark on my psyche. The imagination behind this is at once technically failed by the spfx and at the same time gives it life. The scene with a crowd of people being chased across a field in real day time by a physically real time spider the size of a truck has vision. A man being snuck up from behind in broad daylight by and then devoured by the giant right before your eyes is awesome. However, certain scenes resemble those "bendable hair-covered wire" spiders that you can buy for Halloween decorations these days. That said it is so easy to forgive for some reason. Seeing that big alien spider running around in broad daylight is exactly why this movie was so cool when I was a kid. That and a seemingly typical wholesome "protagonist's foil" type girl putting a diamond in her panties while topless! Dammit this movie ruined me for life! Expecting giant creatures out in the sun and girls to turn on you for alien spider egg diamonds!

JamesEightBitStar · Post by **JamesEightBitStar** » Mon Sep 24, 2007 8:43 pm

So weeks back I rented several movies...

... and quickly got burned out.

So, now I'm really limiting the scope of suggestions.

NEW CRITERIA:

-Must be from 70s or 80s.[1]
-Must involve paranormal/supernatural/Sci-Fi.
-NO ZOMBIES!
-NO COMEDIES!

Additionally, this isn't criteria, but I'd like to say I don't care if the film is "deep" or has some sort of "message." In fact I usually hate those kinds of films. What I like most are films that have some really strange stuff going off, or present some totally mind-blowing premise or at least a lot of really weird stuff going on.

[1] Most of the movies I rented were kinda recent, and, well, they reminded me of why I hate new horror--dumbass characters, predictable plotlines, concepts that just don't work, too much time trying to impress us with vapid artsy techniques, and a "fake" feeling that just abodes the whole picture.

Algolei · Post by **Algolei** » Mon Sep 24, 2007 9:43 pm

JamesEightBitStar wrote:NEW CRITERIA:

-Must be from 70s or 80s.[1]
-Must involve paranormal/supernatural/Sci-Fi.
-NO ZOMBIES!
-NO COMEDIES!

Gothic (1986) - "Story of the night that Mary Shelley gave birth to the horror classic "Frankenstein." Disturbed drug induced games are played and ghost stories are told one rainy night at the mad Lord Byron's country estate. Personal horrors are revealed and the madness of the evening runs from sexual fantasy to fiercest nightmare. Mary finds herself drawn into the sick world of her lover Shelley and cousin Claire as Byron leads them all down the dark paths of their souls."

(I didn't like it.)

The Keep (1983) - "Nazis are sent to guard an old, mysterious fortress in a Romanian pass. One of them mistakenly releases an unknown force trapped within the walls. A mysterious stranger senses this from his home in Greece and travels to the keep to vanquish the force. As soldiers are killed, a Jewish man and his daughter (who are both knowledgable of the keep) are brought in to find out what is happening."

(I loved it.)

The Thing (1982) - "An American scientific expedition to the frozen wastes of the Antarctic is interrupted by a group of seemingly mad Norwegians pursuing and shooting a dog. The helicopter pursuing the dog crashes leaving no explanation for the chase. During the night, the dog mutates and attacks other dogs in the cage and members of the team that investigate. The team soon realises that an alien life-form with the ability to take over other bodies is on the loose and they don't know who may already have been taken over."

(Loved it.)

Spoorloos (1988) [Dutch film; English version title: The Vanishing] - "Rex and Saskia are on holiday, a young couple in love. They stop at a busy service station and Saskia disappears. Rex dedicates the next three years trying to find her. Then he receives some postcards from her abductor, who promises to reveal what has happened to Saskia. The abductor, Raymond Lemorne, is a chilling character to whom Rex is drawn by his intense desire to learn the truth behind his lovers disappearance. The truth is more sinister than he dared imagine."

(Never saw it, but I hear it's "one of the most disturbing films ever.")

The Holy Mountain (1973) - "Astonishingly beautiful, bloody and strange surrealist film. Roughly, about a spiritual quest for enlightenment, truth and immortality; but that doesn't begin to describe Jodorowsky's Fellini-like flood of imagery and symbolism. Jodorowsky himself plays "The Master", an occult adept who assembles a group of people representing the planets of our solar system (a Christ figure for Earth) to ascend the Holy Mountain and gain the secret of eternal life. The qualities of the individual planetary cultures are both based on, and distorted from, their classic meanings in astrology and alchemy - you really need to have some basic reading in occultism to follow this movie - and the stunning ending shot takes the theme of illusion vs. truth to a completely different plane."

(Never saw it but...well. Freaky movie. Lots of blood. Made in Mexico. "LSD" is mentioned in the keywords at IMDb.)

Dwayanu · Post by **Dwayanu** » Tue Sep 25, 2007 12:10 am

"Frankenstein Unbound" is probably a better book than movie, but the flick is not half bad.

geneweigel · Post by **geneweigel** » Tue Sep 25, 2007 5:37 am

Equinox is some freaky shit if you've never seen it. Its a monster horror done by Star Wars spfx man Dennis Muren using stop motion animation and it features Fafhrd & Gray Mouser author Fritz Leiber in one of his few screen roles (his dad Fritz Leiber Sr was a well known character actor). I picked it up a few years ago and I was very satisifed with the weirdness of it.

I like the forest ranger.

Stonegiant · Post by **Stonegiant** » Tue Sep 25, 2007 7:42 am

12 Monkies Always struck me as Horror/Sci-Fi with its quiet hopelessness. It still haunts me.

Waxworks was another that I enjoyed, Nightbreed as well.

Also if someone hasn't posted it, I thought Event Horizon was pretty good.

geneweigel · Post by **geneweigel** » Tue Sep 25, 2007 10:06 am

I avoid books and films by Barker, King and the other guy (I can't think of his name but I know it when I see it: "WATCHERS"), I'm just not into that feel although I did like Salem's Lot, The Shining and Creepshow I & II.

How about Cronenberg in general? Scanners, Videodrome, Rabid, etc? I wasn't too fond of his The Fly remake or the movie with the twins but his recent efforts have been interesting Naked Lunch, Crash (no, not that one!) and ExistenZ.

Here's an interesting weird German horror film that I saw in the theater: "Funny Games" although thats from the 90's. I heard they're making an American version of this which makes me cringe. There's no way they can pull that off!

The original Chainsaw Massacre stood on a pedestal as an exemplary horror but it fades with every cheesy remake. The 80's sequel was good but only for the comedic parts.

Clockwork Orange is probably one of THE best horrors ever made.

I recall cringing in the theater at "The Wizard of Gore" in the 70's but I haven't seen it on video. Another film that scared the shit out my old friend (who hated clowns) was "The House on Sorority Row" but I don't know...the circa 1982 clothing scared me after reviewing it 20 years later...