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Intelligent QUALITY Horror Movies


rushgoober
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I saw my favorite horror movie ever this past week-end - The Shining. I used to love horror movies when I was a kid, but have mostly grown out of them. Don't get me wrong, I still watch them from time to time, it's just that most horror movies (and I hope I don't offend any big time horror fanatics) are STUPID.

 

If the point of seeing a horror movies is JUST to be scared by some crazed killer or JUST to see blood and gore, then most of them accomplish their goals (Freddy, Jason, Chucky, Michael Myers, etc.), but I personally want something that's done with a little bit of intelligence and quality, a movie that stands up as a really good movie (with God forbid, a decent STORY) depsite the fact that it's a horror film. I haven't seen many of them. Here are a few that come to mind - horror movies that are actually good quality films. Can anyone add to this list?

 

The Shining

Invasion of the Body Snatchers (the 70's version, didn't see the original)

An American Werewolf In London

Poltergeist

Alien

The Others

 

hmmmm, my list is short...

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Carrie

The Exorcist

The Fog

The Changeling

 

With each of these there is a story without resorting to gore and the like. The Exorcist has some gross scenes but I don't think that's what makes the movie so much as the plot.

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QUOTE (circumstantial tree @ Nov 2 2005, 12:38 PM)
Carrie
The Exorcist
The Fog
The Changeling

With each of these there is a story without resorting to gore and the like. The Exorcist has some gross scenes but I don't think that's what makes the movie so much as the plot.

Ah, The Exorcist. That is an obvious omission from my list. Great quality movie, agreed, but one I will never see again - saw it a few times in my youth and it's one I don't ever want to sit through again - too disturbing - effective though...

 

By The Fog, I'm assuming you're referring to the original one (which I've only even heard of because the remake just came out)?

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Yes, the original version of the Fog from 1980.

 

There is some gore in the film, but very little. In any case there is a story in the movie, a mystery actually.

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I went to the theater and saw a movie when I was about 7 that I have never been able to watch again, The Little Girl Who Lived Down The Lane starring Jodie Foster. Creeped me out so I understand about The Exorcist. Sometimes its not the gore or the jumping out that gets you.
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When talking in the The Woman In Black thread, I thought of this and wondered if I had ever posted about it before. As it turns out, I had! So...

 

bumper.gif

 

Let me add to my original list the obvious omission of The Silence of the Lambs, which I guess is technically horror.

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The Omen (1976)

Rosemary's Baby

Jaws

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre

Salem's Lot (1979)

Black Christmas

Blood on Satan's Claw

Dracula (1958) & (1979)

Count Yorga Vampire

The Omega Man

Deliverance

Frenzy (Hitchcock)

Psycho

The Birds

The Legend of Hell House

Race with the Devil

Martin

Rabid

The Omen II

The Brood

Videodrome

An American Werewolf in London

The Howling

Poltergeist

Evil Dead I, II & Army of Darkness

 

(already mentioned)

The Thing

Alien

The Wicker Man

The Exorcist

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QUOTE (treeduck @ Feb 21 2012, 01:35 AM)
The Omen (1976)
Rosemary's Baby
Jaws
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre
Salem's Lot (1979)
Black Christmas
Blood on Satan's Claw
Dracula (1958) & (1979)
Count Yorga Vampire
The Omega Man
Deliverance
Frenzy (Hitchcock)
Psycho
The Birds
The Legend of Hell House
Race with the Devil
Martin
Rabid
The Omen II
The Brood
Videodrome
An American Werewolf in London
The Howling
Poltergeist
Evil Dead I, II & Army of Darkness

(already mentioned)
The Thing
Alien
The Wicker Man
The Exorcist

You call that a list? eyesre4.gif

 

 

J/K - impressive list!

 

Most of these I haven't seen, or don't remember if I did.

 

The Omega Man was good, but also a bit silly - it hasn't aged well. Deliverance was very effective - would that really be considered horror? I guess so. The Birds was excellent - I'd definitely add that to my list, along with the original Psycho. An American Werewolf in London and Poltergeist were on my original list - both excellent. And I forgot about The Howling - a bit goofy at time, but a great one as well! trink39.gif

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QUOTE (rushgoober @ Feb 21 2012, 03:52 AM)
QUOTE (treeduck @ Feb 21 2012, 01:35 AM)
The Omen (1976)
Rosemary's Baby
Jaws
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre
Salem's Lot (1979)
Black Christmas
Blood on Satan's Claw
Dracula (1958) & (1979)
Count Yorga Vampire
The Omega Man
Deliverance
Frenzy (Hitchcock)
Psycho
The Birds
The Legend of Hell House
Race with the Devil
Martin
Rabid
The Omen II
The Brood
Videodrome
An American Werewolf in London
The Howling
Poltergeist
Evil Dead I, II & Army of Darkness

(already mentioned)
The Thing
Alien
The Wicker Man
The Exorcist

You call that a list? eyesre4.gif

 

 

J/K - impressive list!

 

Most of these I haven't seen, or don't remember if I did.

 

The Omega Man was good, but also a bit silly - it hasn't aged well. Deliverance was very effective - would that really be considered horror? I guess so. The Birds was excellent - I'd definitely add that to my list, along with the original Psycho. An American Werewolf in London and Poltergeist were on my original list - both excellent. And I forgot about The Howling - a bit goofy at time, but a great one as well! trink39.gif

For Werewolf films there's also The Company of Wolves, also Curse of the Werewolf (Oliver Reed) Silver Bullet (Stephen King) and The Beast must Die.

 

Also:

 

The Devil Rides Out is pretty cool (Christopher Lee, Charles Gray).

 

The Fly (both versions)

 

The Abominable Dr Phibes (Vincent Price) is worth a look...

 

Straw Dogs (original with Dustin Hoffman) is decent.

 

Last House on the Left

 

Shivers (Cronenberg)

 

Magic (Burgess Meredith Anthony Hopkins)

 

The Fury (John Cassavettes, Kirk Douglas) is pretty good

 

Dressed to Kill (Michael Caine)

 

Scanners (Cronenberg)

 

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QUOTE (Grandpa Grizz @ Nov 2 2005, 09:35 PM)
The well-known Night of the Living Dead (1968) is still terrifying, at least to me.

The obscure The Other (1972) is a brainy and beautiful film that you might like, Goober.  Really creepy.

yes.gif

 

The original NOTLD scared me more than any movie I've ever seen. I can't even watch a few seconds of it.

 

The Other is one of my favorites. It came out when I was in Jr. High - back when you could sit in a theater all day and not get kicked out - and I saw it many times. Just recently showed it to my daughter and was pleasantly surprised that it's every bit as good as I thought it was when I was 13.

 

The films that have been listed (esp. tick's list) are all good horror films. I'm not a fan of The Exorcist tthough.... confused13.gif

 

I would add:

Hammer films of the early 60s

Burnt Offerings

Pet Semetary

Dr. Phibes

Theater Of Blood (I like campy, sometimes wink.gif )

Alien

 

 

What I really don't like - and I think this was goober's point with the OP - is the current propensity for torture porn. Stuff like Saw, Hostel, etc. just isn't horror. It's horrible, but not GOOD horror movie making.

Edited by HowItIs
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QUOTE (treeduck @ Feb 21 2012, 02:08 AM)
QUOTE (rushgoober @ Feb 21 2012, 03:52 AM)
QUOTE (treeduck @ Feb 21 2012, 01:35 AM)
The Omen (1976)
Rosemary's Baby
Jaws
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre
Salem's Lot (1979)
Black Christmas
Blood on Satan's Claw
Dracula (1958) & (1979)
Count Yorga Vampire
The Omega Man
Deliverance
Frenzy (Hitchcock)
Psycho
The Birds
The Legend of Hell House
Race with the Devil
Martin
Rabid
The Omen II
The Brood
Videodrome
An American Werewolf in London
The Howling
Poltergeist
Evil Dead I, II & Army of Darkness

(already mentioned)
The Thing
Alien
The Wicker Man
The Exorcist

You call that a list? eyesre4.gif

 

 

J/K - impressive list!

 

Most of these I haven't seen, or don't remember if I did.

 

The Omega Man was good, but also a bit silly - it hasn't aged well. Deliverance was very effective - would that really be considered horror? I guess so. The Birds was excellent - I'd definitely add that to my list, along with the original Psycho. An American Werewolf in London and Poltergeist were on my original list - both excellent. And I forgot about The Howling - a bit goofy at time, but a great one as well! trink39.gif

For Werewolf films there's also The Company of Wolves, also Curse of the Werewolf (Oliver Reed) Silver Bullet (Stephen King) and The Beast must Die.

 

Also:

 

The Devil Rides Out is pretty cool (Christopher Lee, Charles Gray).

 

The Fly (both versions)

 

The Abominable Dr Phibes (Vincent Price) is worth a look...

 

Straw Dogs (original with Dustin Hoffman) is decent.

 

Last House on the Left

 

Shivers (Cronenberg)

 

Magic (Burgess Meredith Anthony Hopkins)

 

The Fury (John Cassavettes, Kirk Douglas) is pretty good

 

Dressed to Kill (Michael Caine)

 

Scanners (Cronenberg)

Scanner is great, even though it's a good bit cheesy. Great soundtrack.

 

Dressed to Kill is decent.

 

I've only seen the modern day Fly. Great movie, and I loved it when I was younger, but honestly some parts are so disgusting that I really have no desire to ever see it again.

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