The Horror Thread

[Rocketman]

There's not already an official thread for this... right?

I've been craving a thread to talk exclusively about horror movies... old classics, upcoming flicks, our favorites, our least favorites, etc. It's without a doubt my favorite genre.

What did we think of the Evil Dead remake? Are we excited for the Carrie remake? How was Mama? Is The Exorcist overrated? Is Michael Myers truly inhuman? Do we need a Scream 5? Let's go!

 

[jonathancrane]

I preferred the third Exorcist film over the original. While I understand the artistic and social significance of the first, the third packs the emotional punch for me (that scene of that possessed old lady crawling on the ceiling above George Scott is quite unnerving. Plus, Brad Dourif was in his best element in the film.) Having said that, I still think Friedkin's best film is The French Connection.

 

[TheDreamMaster]

I swear we have one of these....but you picked a good image to open the thread with so I'm ok with that.
To answer your questions: Evil Dead was awesome. Carrie looks so-so in my book. Haven't seen Mama. The Exorcist is not overrated, but The Exorcist III is criminally underrated, and the book it is based on is even better. Michael Myers depend son the canon: Micahel of 1,2, H20 and resurrection is without a doubt human; Michael of the 4,5,6 canon is empowered with Celtic magic. I'd be up for a scream 5 if it managed to be as good as Scream 4.

Edit: jonathan crane, I'm so glad we agree on Exorcist III. I wish Blatty could find the original ending that was filmed based on the novel's ending as well as the other bits of lost footage. I hear the director's cut would be amazing (and closer to the book.)

 

[The Dark Defender]

I think Scream 4 is one of the worst movies ever made, part of me wants another one just so the series doesn't have to go out on that terrible SNL skit of a movie, but I don't really have much faith in them making another one good.

I think The Exorcist is obscenely overrated, and I'm a very spiritual person so the themes are pretty personal, I stilll don't see the massive appeal and prefer most of the modern possession movies.

Mama was good.

I like the new Evil Dead better than the old ones.

 

[Rocketman]

I have a weird relationship with The Exorcist, because on the one hand, it does not scare me in the least, and I can't for the life of me understand why people were having panic attacks and seizures in the theater. But on the other hand, on its merits as a piece of art, I find it to be one of the most brilliantly made, visually compelling films I've ever seen, and it's one of my favorite movies of all-time. So it's weird, because it doesn't scare me, yet it's very effective to me. It's such an epic, epic film of good versus evil.

It's been quite awhile since I've seen Exorcist III - maybe more than 10 years ago - so I don't remember much. The general consensus I hear is that it's criminally underrated, and maintains a loyal following that sort of reminds me of Shyamalan's Unbreakable in a way. I need to watch it again.

I actually never saw the two prequels that came out:

- Exorcist: The Beginning (2004)
- Dominion: Prequel to The Exorcist (2005)

^ What exactly was the deal here? Why were there two? I got so confused with the whole thing (partly because The Exorcism of Emily Rose was coming out around the same time), I didn't even bother.

 

[jonathancrane]

They are variations of the same film; if I recall there was some studio in-fighting, and a result, there are two different iterations of the same film, with minor differences.

 

[Rocketman]

They are variations of the same film; if I recall there was some studio in-fighting, and a result, there are two different iterations of the same film, with minor differences.

So it's kind of like Richard Donner's Superman II, but instead of a 30 year gap between both films, it was one year?

 

[The Dark Defender]

I think people were freaking out in the theater because the make-up effects were so new to that era, people just weren't used to it and hence much more easily effected by it than a modern audience would be.

That stuff can easily be achieved today (and is) by amateur filmmakers.

I don't think the movie is badly made, but I never saw it as technically brilliant at all.

I like the good vs. evil theme, that's really the only good thing about the movie to me.

I'd have found it scarier if they'd toned down the absurdly overdone theatricality of the possession scenes, that stuff belonged in an intentionally silly horror/comedy along the lines of Evil Dead or Night of the Demons, not a movie trying to take a serious look at the subject matter and present itself as a thematic drama with a horror element.

The Last Exorcism and Emily Rose have far better possession scenes.

 

[TheDreamMaster]

So it's kind of like Richard Donner's Superman II, but instead of a 30 year gap between both films, it was one year?

Via Wikipedia:

John Frankenheimer was originally hired as director for the project, but withdrew before filming started due to health concerns. He died a month later. Paul Schrader replaced him. Dominion was essentially completed, then shelved by Morgan Creek Productions, who feared the film would be unsuccessful and replaced Schrader with Renny Harlin as the director to make a new version of the film, Exorcist: The Beginning (2004). This film used basically the same plot, and the same locations and sets as Dominion but shifted the tone to a more conventional horror film. But after poor audience and critical response to Harlin's version, Morgan Creek gave around $35,000 to Paul Schrader to finish his version;[1][2] Morgan Creek also allowed Warner Bros. to release Schrader's version theatrically under the title Dominion: Prequel to the Exorcist. It was released to limited showing in May 2005.

Both are ok, Dominion is better, but neither are the best. Both are better than the terrible excuse of a sequel that was Exorcist II.

I do agree Defender, despite me having religious views and such, the Exorcist doesn't scare me, and I think Emily Rose handled the subject a little better, but both the original and Exorcist III are fantastic films with good themes and are well done all around. I especially like the moment in III when you finally get to see who is in the cell. First time I saw it blew me away.

 

[zeroapoc]

I loved the new Evil Dead. The Carrie remake looks promising.

 

[bullets]

The Exorcist is a great film. I didn't appreciate The Exorcist or The Omen when I was younger because they didn't scare me , but now I see how well made and psychologically terrifying they really are.

I never bothered with any of the sequels though.

 

[zeroapoc]

Don't. Every Exorcist sequel is crap.

 

[The Dark Defender]

I do really like The Omen.

Frailty is the best religious/spirituality themed horror film imo.

 

[TheDreamMaster]

The Exorcist is a great film. I didn't appreciate The Exorcist or The Omen when I was younger because they didn't scare me , but now I see how well made and psychologically terrifying they really are.

I never bothered with any of the sequels though.

Don't. Every Exorcist sequel is crap.

As we've said above, exorcist III is not. The book is better, imho, but its a worthy sequel. The second film is complete crap. the prequels are ok at best.

I just finished V/H/S and I liked it a lot actually. The wrap around was not very good, but the first story kept me on edge and was genuinely scary. The second story was alright. The third one was weird but not in a scary way. The fourth was not that great. The last one made up for the bad ones a lot though, and was a great haunted house short. Overall, I'd give it a 3/5.

 

[Majik1387]

What did we think of the Evil Dead remake?

Until the end with Jane Levy's character undeading, it was alright if a bit boring.

Are we excited for the Carrie remake?

Yes, though I'd honestly rather see an adaptation of the Broadway musical.

How was Mama?

I really liked it, it really didn't feel like horror to me though, more like a dark fairytale.

Is The Exorcist overrated?

Yes and no. I'm sure it's a time era thing that desensitized me but I never saw it as some religious converting/expulsion like some have treated it.0

Is Michael Myers truly inhuman?

Inhuman? Yes. Immortal? No

Do we need a Scream 5?

Yes, and not some ****ty prequel tv series. No I haven't seen Bates Motel, and honestly not as interested as I originally was.

My queue list tonight is The Last Exorcism 2 and Sinister.
Also, Dark Skies was pretty awesome.

 

[zeroapoc]

As we've said above, exorcist III is not. The book is better, imho, but its a worthy sequel. The second film is complete crap. the prequels are ok at best.

Ok I'll admit that Exorcist III is better than the rest.

 

[Rocketman]

I do really like The Omen.

Frailty is the best religious/spirituality themed horror film imo.

Frailty is awesome!

I remember when I first saw that, it almost traumatized me. Everyone was freaking out over The Sixth Sense at that time, and I was thinking, "You people need to see this." It's not scary so much as it really gets in your head.

 

[culver3vlr22]

Am I the only person who just hates ghost/supernatural horror?

I mean it scares middle school kids and that's great. But ghost can't really scare anyone in there 20s. At least IMO

 

[zeroapoc]

I'm actually the opposite. Slasher horror does nothing for me.

 

[culver3vlr22]

For me I read story's about ppl killing other ppl . I've never read about a ghost killing anyone.

 

[Rocketman]

Horror.com's Top 100 Horror Movies of All-Time (as voted by the fans):
http://www.horror.com/forum/showthread.php?t=22953

The Top 10:

1. Dawn of the Dead (1978)
2. Halloween (1978)
3. Night of the Living Dead (1968)
4. The Thing (1982)
5. The Exorcist (1973)
6. Psycho (1960)
7. Alien (1979)
8. The Evil Dead (1982)
9. A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)
10. The Shining (1980)

I think this list is very solid - possibly definitive for me - and I think a lot of you guys will be pleased with the remaining 90 as well. There are a few surprises, but I think the voters on that site really know what they're talking about.

It's actually pretty funny how little the 1990's appear on the list. I can't recall any great pure Horror films of the 90's. That was a decade later bombarded by the PG-13-esque teen movies like Scream and I Know What You Did Last Summer, and began with the surrealist/psychological/serial killer dramas like Jacob's Ladder, The Silence of the Lambs, and Se7en... three movies that are arguably not Horror (but they are). Same with Sixth Sense and Blair Witch.

That was a very strange decade for the genre.

 

[chamber-music]

The Exorcist is probably one of my favourite horror films. I've never seen any of the sequels although I have seen the prequel.

I prefer ghost/haunted movies to slasher films. Slasher films bore me most the time. I think you can count the really good slasher films on one hand.

 

[culver3vlr22]

I guess I'm the only guy who can count good supernatural horror on one finger.

I'm 20 nothing really scares me(besides the state of the US government).

My one friend was robbed and stabed so for me a guy with knife actually happens. Living in a house with a demon or ghost that's just silly little kid stuff to me.

 

[The Dark Defender]

If someone where killed by a ghost or a demon they probably would not appear to have been killed by a ghost or a demon, hence it's far less likely to be on the local news.

Whether it's scary or not has alot to do with what one believes.

 

[Rocketman]

I'm surprised that the Horror genre hasn't taken the ball and run with it when it comes to the idea of financial/economic apocalypse.

The Walking Dead does it, but there are zombies thrown in. I'm talking about doing the same show, but start with the stock market crashing, or martial law, and families having to defend their homes against scavengers, society breaking down and mass hysteria/confusion in grocery stores. It basically writes itself. People resorting to cannibalism, fathers resorting to murder to defend their children.

The Road is a good example, but I think it can be taken even further. I want to see terror/suspense taken to the max with it. Families being separated in large panicking crowds, etc.

I hate how Post-Apocalyptic stuff is so huge and "in" right now, but it's centered around something impossible like zombies, or aliens, or vampires, or some impossible virus. I want to see reality. That would actually scare me.