Favorite Horror Movies — Page 4

Since NO ONE has mentioned them I must include ROB ZOMBIE's oeuvre to the list.

HOUSE OF 1000 CORPSES
THE DEVIL'S REJECTS
HALLOWEEN
H2 (wait... its quite good. It even has a bit of Carpenter's concept from the first H2, but like the first film is a vast departure from the original and mostly Zombie's own.)

These films are repugnant and filthy and sleazy and disgusting. Depraved is a good word.

LOVE Zombie and think he is the only American director of horror who is a true auteur and visionary. His films are unlike any other and while one may dispise him one must also see his talent. His wife is pretty damn awesome as well... just you wait til you see what she is up to in H2. GEISHA horror. Zombie is really doing some FASCINATING things with the HALLOWEEN franchise and I actually prefer his HALLOWEEN to Carpenter's original and the sequal, if forced to choose. I love Carpenter but I actually think Zombie got more out of the material. The original is an incredibly unique piece of art in its own way, but I prefer Zombie if I want some Michael Meyers. An unpopular opinion, maybe, but a valid one nonetheless.

I think these films are pretty prominent, dare I say that THE DEVIL'S REJECTS is a STAPLE of dorms these days, which means Zombie is connecting with young audiences for whatever that's worth.

P

Updated On: 7/14/09 at 10:03 PM

'House of 1000 Corpses' is f*cking sick. I have a fondness for Jeepers Creepers.

The only thing that bothered me in Cannibal Holocaust was the muskrat and the turtle. As far the rest goes, I don't believe any of it was real.

The Indians were working with the crew and in one of the docs about it you can see them standing around between takes and getting direction.

As for the castration, it was like a split second in the unedited cut and I really can't believe it was "authnetic".

My guess is that the the Indian had a fake penis in his hand which would have been hidden by the rock he was holding. The actor's real junk was probably tucked under and covered with a blood pack that spurted when the castration was over.

The makeup and effects of that characters demise are unequalled in anything else I have ever seen.

But yea, that turtle scene was just disgusting.

I like Zombie as well. Definitely felt dirty after Devil's Rejects. Loved the Argento-esque color scheme's in House Of 1,000 Corpses.
Plus, how can you not love Sid Haig as Captain Spaulding? Classic character.

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Sherie Moon Zombie gives her best performance yet in H2. You can get a glimpse of just how chilling the LOOK of her character is in the new trailer that came out last week.

She IS a really great actress and nepotism seems to have little to do with her casting. "Chinese, Japanese, Dirty Knees, Look At These..." will forever haunt me! And she's drop-dead GORGEOUS.

It's a shame Karen Black gave Zombie such trouble and held out for too much $$$ so she was replaced for the sequel (tho I doubt she would have done the EXPLICIT sex scene with the repellant (in s good way!) Sid Haig ). THE DEVIL'S REJECTS would have improved on the original HOUSE OF 1000 CORPSES had she continues the character. In movies, I always say write a new character if the actress won't do the role. though I understand how sometime that seems impossible (DARK KNIGHT). Though I can just imagine her in the opening shoot-out and then the last interrogation room scene... it'd almost be worth it to bring her back for the proposed 3rd and final part of the REJECTS trilogy to give her one last shot (is Ma really dead?).

CANNIBAL HALOCAUST:
tazber - awesome insights and I agree pretty much with everything you said! The turtle is disgusting and I, too, think that the makeup for the impaling is up there with the best sergio stilvetti or howard berger/greg nicotero. Maybe, indeed, THE BEST. It's just SO real. It really can wake up even the most jaded viewer. Also... now it makes you think twice about eating turtle. Or a hamburger. You think a shell is gross, try a cowhide. Best vegetarian ad PETA could ever use.

Zombie's favorite film is SUSPIRIA and he is a total Italian and Japanese horror nut like me so seeing his influences, like I also do with Roth, makes their movies particularly special because they truly consider and address the GENRE and pantheon of horror films and don't merely ape and pander like almost EVERYTHING other director. Zombie and Roth are the anti-hacks.

P

P.S. taz - whats your fav. Argento? You strike me as an OPERA man... maybe FOUR FLIES ON GREY VELVET? My fav is PROFUNDO ROSSO with INFERNO and SUSPIRIA close behind. YES, I DO find INFERNO slightly superior to SUSPIRIA and would love to explain why to you someday. :)

Updated On: 7/14/09 at 10:59 PM

The castration scene in Cannibal Holocaust was accomplished by a prosthetic Penis and scrotum attached to a merkin. The performer's real anatomy was carefully tucked out of sight (ask your friendly neighborhood drag queen!). There really was no blood gushing from the would, which would have gushed quite profusely had it been real.
The film was made in 1980 or there about, I believe, and the gelatin work in the body parts were by far state of the art and still, even today with the development of various silicones, hold up very well.
All actors who were in that film are accounted for. They had signed an agreement to make any films, television shows theatre appearances for a year after the film's opening. That was cut short when the film was confiscated by the Italian government and the director held on charges of making a snuff film. I believe he did get some fines and jail time for making pornography and animal cruelty.

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"The only thing that bothered me in Cannibal Holocaust was the muskrat and the turtle."

taz, that was a coatimundi (not a muskrat) that got the knife to the throat. And, yeah, that was disturbing, considering it was for real. :-/

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Updated On: 7/15/09 at 07:12 AM

I agree with alot of posters who mentioned PSYCHO as the Granddaddy of all SUSPENSE/HORROR films....
Others on my list:
THE EXORCIST
NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD
HALLOWEEN-Original
SILENCE OF THE LAMBS
ALIEN
ROSEMARY's BABY
KNIFE IN THE WATER
TEXAS CHAINSAW--Original
SUSPIRIA
28 DAYS LATER
30 DAYS OF NIGHT
And so many others....I loved the old UNIVERSAL MONSTER FILMS, they scared the hell out of me as a child.

Updated On: 7/15/09 at 09:54 AM

As taz well knows, I'm pretty darn squeamish...consequently I don't see many of the post 70s horror or slasher flicks (unless they're on TV, where they're tamer).

That said, the original Halloween, and the TV Version of Halloween 2 (which, IIRC is Carpenter's preferred) rank in the top 3, alongside the original Black Christmas.

I liked Waxworks (I think that was it, the Zach Galligan film) a whole lot, as well. The Sentinel from 78 or so is also freakin' creepy as hell in that last 10 minutes. I will never look at Beverly D'Angelo the same way again.

I don't do the Chainsaw Massacre series at all. Growing up in Texas (Even in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex) there are places 10-15 minutes from my house where those films could take place.

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I really liked Hammer's Phantom of the Opera with Herbert Lom.By the end of that movie I hated Michael Gough so much!

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Updated On: 7/15/09 at 03:55 PM

Never watched USA's "UP ALL NIGHT"...got my Horror kicks from CHILLER THEATER when I was a kid... the 6 fingered hand coming up out of the swamp...and also here in NY, Channel 9's MILLION DOLLAR MOVIE. they would play the same film every day for a week...KING KONG, GODZILLA all the classics and the not so classics like, THE CRAWLING EYE or THE ATTACK OF THE CRAB MONSTERS.
ALSO ADDED TO MY LIST:
How could I have overlooked the scariest Haunted House film ever made {IMO} THE HAUNTING {Original}

Updated On: 7/16/09 at 04:21 PM

I have Chopping Mall, Night of the Comet, Waxwork and Waxwork 2 on DVD. I love the silly stuff.

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I used to love UP ALL NIGHT as a little boy but it had NOTHING to do with the movies they showed.

taz - RE:HC2: Deodado should just drop the natives via heliocopter in the middle of NYC and let them go wild! TENEBRAE has some of the greatest scored murder scenes ever! The French DJs JUSTICE have an amazing series of tracks based on that theme (as well as Morricone from FOUR FLIES and others) that I really dig, all on their MySpace. I actually have found many things to like in all of Argento's films, even his newer, modern grittier films. GIALLO is supposed to be pretty good, with some consistently solid acting for once. I really hope he gets to do the third part of the DEEP RED/SLEEPLESS (NON HO SONNO) trilogy tho... or maybe not considering THE MOTHER OF TEARS which was pretty disappointing in general (but a few flashes of brilliance made it worthwhile) as a conclusion to the unparalelled SUSPIRIA/INFERNO double-f*ck. He's one of only a few directors I can think of who have three sets of film trilogies (Animal Trilogy, 3 mothers, DR/S/?), with a sequel set to boot (THE CARD PLAYER is a sequael to THE STENDAHL SYNDROME technically, same main character though played by different actresses (Asia was doing X (the Vin Diesal film, not porno. Though SCARLET DIVA on the other hand...)). And, am I crazy, or could DEEP RED make an AMAZING musical? I think it's been done in Italy, though in Italian of course. He's like Tarantino there (i.e. the most well-known director).

p

Updated On: 7/15/09 at 08:21 PM

I DESPISED Zombie's HALLOWEEN. The original is one of my favorite movies of all time and one of the creepiest horror movies, imho. What made it creepy was the slow building supsense and not knowing why Michael was doing what he was doing or even why he killed his sister. In the 6th movie they tried to explain it and blew it.

With Zombie's HALLOWEEN it's kind of a "duh" why he went bat**** crazy. His dad was an alcholic and an abuser.....he was bullied at school constantly....etc. etc. etc. It ruins the mystery. ALSO...ALSO....Zombie cared more about blood/guts and language then actually bulding upon the story. Laurie was no longer the girl next door that you really cared about and rooted for. She is now a teenage girl who is all goody goody infront of mom and dad but gets a little wild with the friends and really annoying. The ONLY thing I liked about the movie was the relationship between Michael and Laurie at the beginning of the movie where he protected and cared for her. Which makes me go, "huh?" that he was trying to kill her. Plus McDowell was a HORRIBLE Dr. Loomis. There was no caring in him. With Donald Pleasance, his Dr. Loomis was terrified and vigilant about trying to keep him behind bars, but at the same time there was a fascination about Michael. It was like they were two signs of a coin (which was later played up in the sequels). In this movie McDowell is just all "Let's go get Michael. He's evil. Let's go get Michael. He's evil."

I am not going to lie, I AM looking forward to H2 because there is more room for Zombie to take the characters and he doesn't have to follow the Carpenter blueprint. But, I am not holding my breath

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Updated On: 7/17/09 at 01:55 PM