The Slaughterhouse

[metallicaman8]

This is the official horror movie discussion thread (unless there's one already, if there is I haven't seen it). Any and all topics are open:

-up and coming horror movies
-what you think is the all time best/worst horror movie
-have horror movies gotten better or worse over time
-what's the key to a horror movie really being scary, gore or suspense
-do you prefer any particular kind of horror movie (i.e Slasher, zombie etc.) and if so why
-favorite directors

I think y'all get the idea.

Oh, discussion of horror books (i.e Stephen King etc.) is also welcome.

[Mister Mop]

Implausible zombie movies with more gore than storyline is always a laugh. Although pyschological horror is always the one I find most interesting.

[Mister Mop]

Wait... What the hell? Why am I in the account 'Mister Mop'?

[metallicaman8]

Yeah, I concur. Zombie movies are good for a laugh, but they're really not scary which sort of defeats the purpose of being a horror movie at all. They're still great, though.

[Meatplow]

Horror is an iffy genre for me. I love horror novels, a big fan of Stephen King & Dean Koontz yet when it comes to films i often get bored and rather uninterested in watching people get slain. Detail is what disturbs me rather then visual gore.

For the 70s/80s slasher flicks i've watched Texas Chainsaw Massacre, all of Friday The 13th, most of Halloween & The Nightmare on Elm Street series. I've enjoyed those standards a lot, along with a lot of forgettable movies like Pirahnas.

Modern horror doesn't do much for me, all those teen slasher flicks mainly. Scream, I Know What You Did Last Summer, Urban Legend etc. Overuse of effects really turns me off as well, as in the Saw series. I like subtle symbolism and disturbing implications.

[Cocaine]

Quentin Tarantino horror? Errrrr....

[Tillius]

Exactly what I was coming in here to say.

As for zombie movies...they're not all laughs.

The original Night of the Living Dead for example.

And a lot of Romero...though I'm not sure it could be said for Land of the Dead.

Anyway, I think the best horror movie, and best franchise for that matter, would have to be Halloween.

Michael Myers>any other horror villain

[thedeadwalk!]

Zombies are my greatest fear in life.

I appreciated Land of the Dead more after going back and watching Day of the Dead again. After that you can see the beginnings of the possibilities in which zombies are capable of going. But, really, Romero mostly got caught up in his message rather than his movie. Still, his first three are priceless.

[AlienEater]

I voted Romero, although Carpenter was close behind, mainly because of The Thing

[metallicaman8]

Quentin Tarantino horror? Errrrr....

Eh, he veers more towards action, I guess, but I still consider him on the fence. Also, I was too lazy yo think of another director. I probably should've gone with the guy who directed all the Hellraisers (his name escapes me atm)

EDIT: Name's Clive Barker.

As for zombie movies...they're not all laughs.

I've seen NOTLD and most of Romero's movies, I know they're not intended to make people laugh, but I just can't help it. I find them hilarious.

Michael Myers>any other horror villain

Agreed.

[AA-12]

Horror = My favorite. If slashers count, Rob Zombie is my favorite horror director.

[metallicaman8]

Hmm, could you recommend me a few of his movies? I've only seen House of 1000 Corpses (suuucked) and The Devil's Rejects (pretty good, actually).

[AA-12]

That's his only two.

[metallicaman8]

Oh, I thought he'd done more. Anywho, based on that I really can't consider him anywhere near greatest horror director of all-time, but he's definitely a raising star. I'm really looking forward to his remake/prequal (premake?) of Halloween.

(that's coming out on Aug31 for anyone who's interested.)

[Tillius]

I went with Carpenter...almost Romero though.

[AlienEater]

Hmm, could you recommend me a few of his movies? I've only seen House of 1000 Corpses (suuucked) and The Devil's Rejects (pretty good, actually).

agreed

[AA-12]

You guys suck :p I looooooooooove HO1KC

[metallicaman8]

Eh, parts of it were okay but there was A LOT of bad acting and I just didn't much care for the plot. I do like Rob, though and like I said Devil's Rejects was good.

[AlienEater]

I thought pretty much everything about HO1C was plain terrible tbh

[Tillius]

The scene with the cop getting shot was amazing.

And the scene where they first attack them posing as scarecrows was pretty cool too.

[metallicaman8]

Okay, poll closes tomorrow so anyone who hasn't voted and would like to, do so quickly.

Also, I'm open to suggestions for what the next poll should be.

[Steerpike]

Okay, mini-rant coming.

Horror is perhaps one of the most difficult genres to correctly execute. Gore is not scary, it's shocking. I appreciate action and blood, don't get me wrong. But you can't bank the whole film on that.

That's why I dislike Rob Zombie. I have nothing against Rob, but he lacks subtlety and restraint. International House of Corpses = torture and depravity. It was basically every bit as schlocky and tasteless as Italian mondo films.

Horror is about atmosphere, symbolism, subtle themes and motifs, and a play of good versus evil, often painted in very stark colors influenced by the Gothic tradition of Romantic era novelists.

My top horror films would be as follows in no particular order:

1. Dawn of the Dead
2. Rosemary's Baby
3. Dog Soldiers
4. Carnival of Souls
5. Halloween
6. An American Werewolf in London
7. Bram Stoker's Dracula
8. The Call of Cthulhu
9. The Howling
10. The Omen

Like I said, it's not that gore is a bad thing. It's that too many directors become too dependent on it. Take Rosemary's Baby for example. Creepy as all ****ing hell. But you'll notice that the impregnation scene was the only time we ever see anything particularly explicit, and of course we never actually see the infant. Polanski really showed remarkable cinematic tact with that film.

Compare that to Dawn of the Dead which was a milestone in cinematic ultra-violence. However, Romero made you care about his cast of characters before he killed them off one-by-one, and he properly used the zombies to create a maximum sense of dread and looming, omnipresent fear.

Every type of horror film appeals to a larger theme in humanity. "Devil made me do it" films like Rosemary's Baby and The Exorcist were about creating the horror of painting mankind's helplessness against corruption by forces bigger than all of us.

Werewolf movies are the embodiment of human savagery and viciousness made flesh. The victim of the lycanthrope's curse becomes a creature capable only of destruction and death, a slave to it's most feral bloodlusts.

Vampire movies go into many complex themes, such as the pain of immortality, the ability to dehumanize others for the sake of your own survival, and the way power corrupts and destroys a person's humanity.

The slasher flick originated as a modern play on the boogey-man legend. Youthful indescretions were watched, judged, and punished by a figure that wasn't quite human and often faceless. The slashers were people who existed to mete out punishment, vengeance, and/or carnage for its own sake. Sadly, it has become something of a parody of itself.

We need some new, capable directors to breathe new life back into the horror genre if the Saw series is really what passes for horror these days.

[Tillius]

^^^
Agreed.

Though I still think the first Saw was amazing. It just didn't rely too heavily on the gore and still managed to pull off a creep tone.

[thedeadwalk!]

That's why I dislike Rob Zombie. I have nothing against Rob, but he lacks subtlety and restraint. International House of Corpses = torture and depravity. It was basically every bit as schlocky and tasteless as Italian mondo films.
That was the point. It was a throwback to 70s slashers; an homage.

I think you'll see a lot more atmosphere in his Halloween remake, if you see it.

But, on a different point, Dawn of the Dead is amazing. Right from the opening in the news room it had me. Night... is especially great as well, and Day... is rather underappreciated.

[AlienEater]

Day is my favourite

I don't get why people don't like it as much

[metallicaman8]

Well put, Steerpike. Although, I found Bram Stoker's Dracula to be pretty bad. There was atmosphere was good and there was a lot of suspense, but there was a fair share of bad acting (KEANU REEVES). Also, I think dracula was poorly cast. He didn't look scary and when it comes right down to it you can have all the suspense and atmosphere in the world, but if the villain looks like he needs a walker it's going to be difficult to scare people.

EDIT: Oh, and plz throw some suggestions out there for a new poll ppl.

If no one says anything I'm just gonna do something like "Scarriest Horror Villian"

[Tillius]

I disagree with your view towards Dracula's appearance.

I would rather see this old guy who we KNOW is evil yet looks pretty much harmless, than some monster form of him portrayed in many other movies, Van Helsing and Blade 3 for example.

I mean, if Reeves goes into the house and sees this beast, you think he's gonna stay there? No. But he gets in there with this seemingly kind old man and he doesn't think twice about it.

[metallicaman8]

True, I'm not at all debating the fact that dracula was human and elderly. I'm just questioning the actor's appearence. He didn't have the look. I would've liked to see someone more like the guy from Van Helsing (in human form, not monster obviously). But eh, I'm kind of picky like that.

[Steerpike]

That was the point. It was a throwback to 70s slashers; an homage.

I understand that. But those movies generally sucked. I've seen more B-movies than good movies, so I know my ****. Rob's homage to those flicks just came across flat and disappointing. Compare that to Grindhouse which was over-the-top and campy, but had more self-awareness and unlike House... gave us a reason to give 2 shits about the main characters.

I think you'll see a lot more atmosphere in his Halloween remake, if you see it.

Saw the trailer and I wasn't impressed. I'll catch it on DVD.

Also, I think dracula was poorly cast. He didn't look scary and when it comes right down to it you can have all the suspense and atmosphere in the world, but if the villain looks like he needs a walker it's going to be difficult to scare people.

Bullshit. Edward James Almos perfectly conveyed the sense of haughty aristocracy that was so important to Coppola's portayal of the character. He was cultured, refined, cool, confident, and always three steps ahead of everyone else.

His appearance in the beginning of the movie gave him a more inhuman appearance and provided a sense of creepiness. You see a decrepit old Carpathian nobleman living alone in his castle, but with this bizarre amusement in his eyes and this whole "I know something you don't" vibe. That is creepy as all ****ing get out.

[metallicaman8]

Haha, I see your point and I suppose that look in his eyes was creepy, but other than that he really didn't scare me. I'm not saying he didn't portray Dracula well. He did very well. But other than the "I know something you don't" vibe you mentioned just didn't creep me out. I think it had something to will his hair idk.

[metallicaman8]

Okay, sorry to double post, but I'm definitely going with the scarriest villain poll and I want some input on the contenders. So far I have:

Michael Myers
Freddy Krueger
Zombies (in general)
Pinhead
Jason Voorhees
Dracula
Frankenstein
Werewolves
Hannibalector
Other (specify with post)

What do you guys think? Is that good, or did I miss someone important, or perhaps is there someone who definitely shouldn't be on there?

[Tillius]

None of them are really scary except for Lecter.
Michael is definitely my favorite, but as far as "scary" goes, it would definitely have to be Lecter, so I'll be choosing him when the poll goes up.

[metallicaman8]

For the love of God, man. Go to the "name dat movie" thrad and tell me if I'm right. The suspense is killing me.

Also, my vote's probably going to Myers.

[thedeadwalk!]

I understand that. But those movies generally sucked. I've seen more B-movies than good movies, so I know my ****. Rob's homage to those flicks just came across flat and disappointing. Compare that to Grindhouse which was over-the-top and campy, but had more self-awareness and unlike House... gave us a reason to give 2 shits about the main characters.
Grindhouse was going back to a different kind of movie than House... was. But, also, House...'s main characters were the killers who were deprived, so caring about them wasn't really an option. I found them interesting, so, that's really all that matters. It's all just opinions, no matter how much of an idiot you think the other person is. :p

[Steerpike]

Grindhouse was going back to a different kind of movie than House... was. But, also, House...'s main characters were the killers who were deprived, so caring about them wasn't really an option. I found them interesting, so, that's really all that matters. It's all just opinions, no matter how much of an idiot you think the other person is. :p

What I mean is that we didn't have any reason to care whether their victims lived or died, nor did we have any reason to care whether the family succeeded. None whatsoever. "Sucks to be you," is not pathos.

[Tillius]

I actually felt pretty bad for the people in House...
I mean, I guess maybe it WAS the whole "sucks to be you" thing, but when that one girl is running away and Baby Firefly catches her and just starts repeatedly stabbing her, I felt bad for her.

[AA-12]

@House/TDR. You all know that TDR is basically my favorite movie. I was pulled into the characters more than most movies i've seen.

[Steerpike]

I actually felt pretty bad for the people in House...
I mean, I guess maybe it WAS the whole "sucks to be you" thing, but when that one girl is running away and Baby Firefly catches her and just starts repeatedly stabbing her, I felt bad for her.

That's the "sucks to be you" principle.

Rosemary's Baby is a great example of real pathos.

[AlienEater]

I hated everyone in House and wanted them all to die as quickly as possible

[metallicaman8]

So, how do I get rid of this poll and make a new one? I'm not sure how.

*insert sheepishly embarassed emoticon here*

[Steerpike]

Now that I think of it, I don't think you can.

[Eliminator]

zombie movies rule

[AlienEater]

truth

[Steerpike]

I just found out Neil Marshall's next project is called Doomsday. It's a sci-fi epic about a planet-scarring plague called The Reaper Virus. After another outbreak, a team is sent into the original quarantined hot zone to try to discover a cure.

By the sound of it, we're going to get viral zombies. It's also got Sean Pertwee, who was god damn awesome in Dog Soldiers.

[metallicaman8]

Sounds neat, even if the plot's been done countless times before.