The Horror Thread

[zeroapoc]

I loved that film. Under-rated is right.

 

[zeroapoc]

You know what really irritates me? Nobody is really making a solid effort to make the next great, classic icon of Horror. Insidious tried it, Sinister sure as hell tried it, and Saw tried it (and failed, in my opinion). Hatchet tried it, but it had no real mainstream impact, and it was all based in comedy and can't be taken seriously.

Freddy Kruger
Michael Myers
Jason Voorhees
Leatherface
Pinhead
Chucky

Like, nobody wants to take this list and really challenge it.

Not a slasher film but Samara Morgan could have done it but the sequel went off the rails.

 

[GENERAL RAAM582]

Oh dude, really? This movie is underrated as hell.

http://www.literalremains.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/Mothman-Prophecies-Movie-Poster.jpg[IMG]

If you really sit down and watch it, it gets inside your head so much, it's almost unbearable. I almost had an anxiety attack during a few scenes.[/QUOTE]

I'll have to check it out. Thanks.

Yeah, no one is really trying too hard to make a new icon. It is pretty difficult. Think of all the slasher films from the 80s, only Freddy and Jason managed to make a real impact.

 

[TheDreamMaster]

You know what really irritates me? Nobody is really making a solid effort to make the next great, classic icon of Horror. Insidious tried it, Sinister sure as hell tried it, and Saw tried it (and failed, in my opinion). Hatchet tried it, but it had no real mainstream impact, and it was all based in comedy and can't be taken seriously.

Freddy Kruger
Michael Myers
Jason Voorhees
Leatherface
Pinhead
Chucky

Like, nobody wants to take this list and really challenge it.

I disagree that Hatchet is based on comedy. Kane Hodder delivers as the father in both but especially in the sequel. It's a bit excessive and over the top but I think it comes closer to the big slashers. He is a ghost though, so I'm not huge on that aspect.
Laid to Rest tried with Chromeskull and I loved the first. The second kind of killed it though. It wasn't tge worst, but it stretched him living, as well as brought in a *****ey Chromeskull replacement who took up way too much time on the film. In fact the whole organization angle bogged that film down. Otherwise, I'll agree there haven't been many others worth mentioning. But never forget Candyman when making your list again .

 

[PacificBoy]

^ How about the Candyman? The movie scared me witless.

And the Mothman Prophecies is a good shout. It really gets under your skin. I was left unnerved for weeks after viewing.

 

[jonathancrane]

There needs to be a new slasher icon for this decade (or hell, the single digit thousands.) Ghostface was kind of the last one.

 

[Asgard]

I watched the Candyman as a kid and for awhile, I was afraid to use the bathroom. Lol.

Kinda awkward when youre taking a crap with the door slightly ajar.

 

[PacificBoy]

I watched the Candyman as a kid and for awhile, I was afraid to use the bathroom. Lol.

Kinda awkward when youre taking a crap with the door slightly ajar.

It was.

 

[jonathancrane]

One of my favorite obscure slashers is Midnight Movie. Love the heck out of the film.

 

[66 Face]

I agree completely. I'm kinda baffled by the love it receives.

I really hate the James Wan movie but I do think he's getting better. The make up is usually so bad it takes away from any mood setting in... like country bumpkin street fair bad.

I kind of liked The Lady in Black and hope the sequal builds off of it. Unlike The Ring... what the hell happed there.

Maybe Friday the 13th will be done the right way now that its back in the right hands.

 

[bullets]

You know what really irritates me? Nobody is really making a solid effort to make the next great, classic icon of Horror. Insidious tried it, Sinister sure as hell tried it, and Saw tried it (and failed, in my opinion). Hatchet tried it, but it had no real mainstream impact, and it was all based in comedy and can't be taken seriously.

Freddy Kruger
Michael Myers
Jason Voorhees
Leatherface
Pinhead
Chucky

Like, nobody wants to take this list and really challenge it.

I think they problem is that they are challenging those franchises by forcing mediocre (and mostly terrible) sequels on every horror film that comes out these days.

However I disagree about SAW because Jigsaw is an iconic villain and the series did the same things as the other film characters you mentioned. Someone could also make a case for "death" in Final Destination or "Ghostface" in Scream.


I really wanted to see a sequel to Trick R Treat. Sam could of made the list.

 

[GENERAL RAAM582]

I hated Laid to Rest, the main characters were so annoying. That's the thing with a slasher, you need likeable characters. Like Nancy, Laurie, Sidney, etc. They make the film work.

 

[culver3vlr22]

I hated Laid to Rest, the main characters were so annoying. That's the thing with a slasher, you need likeable characters. Like Nancy, Laurie, Sidney, etc. They make the film work.

Couldn't agree more.. Slashers were killed because of terrible characters and alot of the time producible that they seemed stupid.

 

[TheDreamMaster]

One of my favorite obscure slashers is Midnight Movie. Love the heck out of the film.

So do I. It's a really fun slasher. I showed it to some friends and they all thought it was too cheesy. I liked it. I didn't know they released a Director's Cut in 2011. I need to track it down now.

I think they problem is that they are challenging those franchises by forcing mediocre (and mostly terrible) sequels on every horror film that comes out these days.

However I disagree about SAW because Jigsaw is an iconic villain and the series did the same things as the other film characters you mentioned. Someone could also make a case for "death" in Final Destination or "Ghostface" in Scream.


I really wanted to see a sequel to Trick R Treat. Sam could of made the list.

Trick R Treat was the best damn horror film of the last ten years imo.

 

[Hotwire]

Huh, I'm a little surprised by the James Wan and Paranormal Activity hate here. I thought Insidious was amazing, and I think Paranormal Activity is the one series that can go on for as long as it wants. Sinister is another one that blew me away.

These films (minus Paranormal Activity) are returning to that classic, epic feeling that The Shining and The Changeling had. I hold those two films in such high regard, they hold such a special place in my heart, that anything that tries to bring that quality back or give something back to that style is automatically loved by me. The Conjuring looks like it's going to do that too.

I'm okay with gore and boobs and torture and cheerleaders and camping trips and all that, but these things do not define the genre for me.

I want to see families, or domestic situations, or elements of Suburbia being flipped on its head. I love nothing more in any movie, really. I love seeing superficial, cookie cutter settings or relationships slowly peeling back some layers and seeing some skeletons hiding in those closets. The husband is an alcoholic, the wife is cheating, the son has autism, the daughter is gothic, and so on. You have an awesome story first, and then, all of a sudden, there's this horrific thing thrown into the mix. Cujo is another example.

American Beauty, Little Children, Revolutionary Road, The Ice Storm - these all have elements of horror slowly creeping under the surface, but it never quite reaches that level. The Shining and The Changeling had it too, but instead, it totally went all the way. It went there. Insidious and Sinister went there too.

Having said this, I enjoyed the first Saw immensely. I thought it totally upped the ante for Horror films to come... but instead, it canceled itself out for me with waaaay too many sequels and way too much complication. They had no answers to the initial questions, they were making up things as they went along, and they essentially created a giant spider-web and started throwing darts at the wall with their eyes closed. Anyone - anyone - who says that they had the whole series mapped out from the beginning is a bold-faced liar.

I would like to go one step further and say that James Wan is saving the genre immensely. And Paranormal Activity is helping a lot too. Someone like Eli Roth, to me, isn't helping things at all. He's someone who is ruining things. In my opinion.

I was about to say how good Sinister was. It does something I really enjoy with horror movies in that, it let's the bad guy win. Far too many movies feel the need for a happy ending. The first Saw did the same thing.

 

[Majik1387]

Other than the bad acting in the ending with the picture taking, Sinsiter was amazing. And I was thrilled to finally see astral projection used properly in a horror movie. I hope we see more of it in the sequel.

I also loved the design of the demon guy and the evil minions,

 

[GENERAL RAAM582]

I have yet to see Sinister, but as I can tell from this thread it's great.

 

[Rocketman]

... So, did anyone waste their time with Wes Craven's My Soul to Take ?
It looks like total trash, like, PG-13 teeny-bopper trash, so I never bothered with it.

But is it worth it?

Also, I watched the Prom Night remake today.

Spoiler

GOOD GOD, IT WAS TERRIBLE.

 

[GENERAL RAAM582]

Haven't seen either of those. Was JC's The Ward terrible?

 

[bullets]

I have yet to see Sinister, but as I can tell from this thread it's great.

I thought it was really good. It might depend on how you view the ending , but the suspense and Ethan Hawke's performance are great.


I skipped My Soul to take. When it came out most of the people who saw it amongst this board said it was terrible. Based off clips and reviews I believed them.

Prom Night (the remake) is one of the most boring slasher films I've ever seen. I'd never bother with that mess again.

Also I didn't like The Ward.

 

[GENERAL RAAM582]

Sad to see that JC and Craven lost their touch. JC said he'd love to make a Dead Space adaptation, I'd love to see that too considering all the Thing references it has.

 

[Rocketman]

I heard The Ward is good as long as you go in with no expectations and just watch it objectively.

But it's weird, most of Carpenter's old movies aren't particularly well made anyway, yet we consider them classics. Don't get me wrong, he's one of my favorite directors ever, but Halloween, The Fog, They Live, aren't exactly examples of flawless acting or cinematography or writing.

I feel like the 70's and 80's just always get a pass for being "bad". Like, it's okay that they're all poorly made, because they're good that way. Movies can't get away with that now. There are critics and Internet people watching today's movies like a hawk, picking apart every. single. thing. I can't stand it. If The Ward has editing issues or pacing issues, well then, great. So does Assault on Precinct 13. So does Christine. Where's the loathing for those movies? Oh, there isn't any, because you can't touch those.

You couldn't release Halloween or The Thing today. They'd be held in the same regard as Leonard Part 6 and Batman and Robin by the Internet's standards.

 

[GENERAL RAAM582]

Yeah, I noticed that too. It's the nostalgia factor. I wasn't around back then so I don't get those feelings. I look at an 80s film as I do a film that was released yesterday. I do love Halloween and The Thing though.

 

[Rocketman]

Yeah, Carpenter is a genius. Vampires is so great and underrated, maybe in his top 5 films with Halloween and The Thing.

God, I want to watch Vampires like right now.

 

[Majik1387]

... So, did anyone waste their time with Wes Craven's My Soul to Take ?
It looks like total trash, like, PG-13 teeny-bopper trash, so I never bothered with it.

But is it worth it?

I appreciated it, though it tried a bit hard to be the supernatural version of the Scream movies.
I liked the order of deaths wasn't obvious.

Also, I watched the Prom Night remake today.

Spoiler

GOOD GOD, IT WAS TERRIBLE.

Nah, though I agree they should have used the original more as an inspiration more than the night itself.
I will say my biggest issue is when a girl is stabbed to death, I got super annoyed at the lack of stab rips and tears in the dress, but blood happened to be all over. Random complaint I know.

Haven't seen either of those. Was JC's The Ward terrible?

It was worse than terrible, which is sad because it had a strong cast. But the writing and the make up job was soooooooo lazy, along with some pacing and editing issues, but I'd probably say the writing is the movie's biggest issue.

I heard The Ward is good as long as you go in with no expectations and just watch it objectively.

You heard wrong.
I knew nothing other than it was from JC and that it starred Amber Heard and that it was supposedly 'horror'.

But it's weird, most of Carpenter's old movies aren't particularly well made anyway, yet we consider them classics. Don't get me wrong, he's one of my favorite directors ever, but Halloween, The Fog, They Live, aren't exactly examples of flawless acting or cinematography or writing.

But something about all those worked amazingly. My personal fave of his that doesn't get enough love is Prince of Darkness

I feel like the 70's and 80's just always get a pass for being "bad". Like, it's okay that they're all poorly made, because they're good that way. Movies can't get away with that now. There are critics and Internet people watching today's movies like a hawk, picking apart every. single. thing. I can't stand it. If The Ward has editing issues or pacing issues, well then, great. So does Assault on Precinct 13. So does Christine. Where's the loathing for those movies? Oh, there isn't any, because you can't touch those.

The Ward had a lot more issues wrong with it than AoP13 and Christine.

You couldn't release Halloween or The Thing today. They'd be held in the same regard as Leonard Part 6 and Batman and Robin by the Internet's standards.

Eh, I highly disagree.