BEST HORROR MOVIES OF 2004

[Bryan]

1) Haute Tension (aka Switchblade Romance)
2) The Toolbox Murders (remake)
3) Dawn Of The Dead (remake)
4) Shaun Of The Dead
5) The Last Horror Movie

Any others?

[Duke Nukem]

1) Saw (***1/2 / 4) - most original, cutting edge horror movie in a long time.

2) Seed of Chucky (***) - this was my most anticipated movie of the year; I was expecting it to be funny, gory, dark, cheesy, outrageous and very enjoyable, and that's exactly what I got; Sorry Jack, Chucky's back!

3) Exorcist: The Beginning (***) - one word: UNDERRATED! For a film redone by Renny Harlin, this film was surprisingly spooky and subtle with genuine scares, good characters and a decent enough story...except maybe for the over-top-finale, but that was not enough ruin the rest of the movie overall; I think critics/schmoes compared this to the original too much.

4) Alien vs. Predator (***) - despite its PG-13 rating, this versus film was still able to be a fun and decent movie; sure, it had the potential to be better, but I took what I got and went along with it; I'm expecting to see the "better" when Anderson and Fox eventually releases the R-rated cut on DVD. Otherwise, still good times.

5) Dawn of The Dead (***) - A remake of the basic plot and setting of the original movie, this zombie flick was a surprisingly good update on the "zombies-in-the-mall" concept; but, no matter what, you have to eventually compare it to the original, and I can't help but feel that it feels superficial in comparison.

[Sad man]

Top 3

01) OPEN WATER - 9/10
02) SHAUN OF THE DEAD - 8/10
03) DAWN OF THE DEAD (UNRATED DIRECTOR'S CUT) - 8/10

[Donnie_Darko]

No order... and I'll try and stick to 2004 original release dates.

Dawn of the Dead - 9/10
Saw - 9/10
Shaun of the Dead - 8/10
The Grudge - 8/10
AvP - 5/10
Res 2 - 6.5/10 (DVD 7.5/10 - much better with Commentary)

Open Water - 8/10 (not really "horror" but still cool)
The Butterfly Effect - 9/10 (again, not really "horror", but it's still really cool)

Toolbox Murders - 8/10 (although 2003, and isn't being released here until Oct '05)

A Tale of Two Sisters - 10/10 (even tho it's a 2003, it was released limited in North America in 04, and gets a DVD release in 05... then they ruin everything by remaking it... bastards)

(and before you go scouring my old posts to compare ratings... things change. Ask me right after I watch DotD, and I'll say, 10/10, best of the year. I'm not a stickler for ratings)

[TheJadedGamer]

1. Dawn of the Dead 2004 (10/10)
2. Butterfly Effect (10/10)
3. Saw (10/10)
4. Shaun of the Dead (9/10)
5. Seed of Chucky (9/10)

[Cronos]

Saw - 10/10
Shaun Of The Dead - 10/10
Haute Tension - 9/10
Butterfly Effect - 9/10
Dawn Of The Dead - 7/10

[redwhisper13]

Shaun of the Dead (10/10) This one is a destined cult classic.

Open Water (7/10) Very intense, and there's the whole aspect that it is based on a real event.

Saw (5/10) Spectacular movie idea and shocking ending, but horrible delivery. Cary Elwes performance was a joke and I hope that he bled to death at the end of that movie so he won't appear in the sequel.

The Grudge (9/10) Maybe its just because I always get scared shitless by those freaky ass Japanese movies.

Resident Evil: Apocalypse (7.5/10) Good, but a dissapointment after the hard-hitting first movie. The lack of Marilyn Manson's unique musical touch was noticeable, as well as the abscence of director Paul Anderson. The zombies were barely seen, and Sienna Guillory's performance outshinned that of Milla Jovovich, but the insight into the Umbrella Corporation was well done, and Oded Fehr's appearance sure did get my heart racing. The ending is perfectly setup for the next installment, and that one should deliver as Anderson will be returning to man the helm.

[Mr-Blonde]

Shaun of the Dead - 10/10 Superb comedy/horror homage to George Romero's zombie movies. This movie felt more like a zombie movie than the DOTD remake to me. Loved the characters, the dialogue, and the gorey FX!

Saw - 8/10 Great premise jilted by over-the-top performances. Very original and could've been better IMO with different casting.

King of the Ants - 8/10 A fucking brilliantly done twisted and sadistic movie that had some great performances. The script is solid and goes places that you'd never expect it to. Refreshing dose of disturbing horror in an era of PG-13 wankfests.

Dawn of the Dead '04 - 7/10 I really liked this film on a visceral action level, though IMO it was never truly scary. The zombies are menacing but the living are lacking. Could've been better with less focus on the supporting characters and lots more Ving!

Open Water - 7/10 The movie takes awhile to get going. It takes a lot of time to establish its characters and premise. But once it gets going a genuine feeling of dread pervades it throughout. Really dug the anti-Hollywood ending!

[Carrie White]

Dawn Of The Dead 9/10
Saw 8/10
The Grudge 8/10
Ginger Snaps Back 7/10
Open Water 7/10

[mrdeeds]

Dawn of the Dead (8/10)
Shaun of the Dead (8.5/10)
The Grudge (8/10)
Butterfly Effect (8.5/10)
AvP (6/10)

[Tarman]

Dawn of the Dead
Shaun of the Dead
Haute Tension

[A.J. Hakari]

By all means, SAW (9/10). One of the better horror/thrillers in recent years, with perfect atmosphere and one helluva script. The performances just needed some tweaking, and then this baby would have been spotless.

[supa_horror_fan]

1. King of Ants
2. The Village
3. RE: Apocalyse
4. Butterfly Effect
5. Shawn of the dead

[spacemonkey]

Heres Spacemonkeys Best of 2004!

Now take into consideration that I havent seen Haute Tension, A Tale of Two Sisters or The Machinist wich Im sure will turn out to be great!...

http://images.amazon.com/images/P/B0006SSOHM.01.LZZZZZZZ.jpg

1- Saw- The surprise of the year. Right from the first image I saw from the film (the girl with that mechanical contraption on her head) I had a feeling about this one....and when I saw it my feelings were confirmed! This one rocked. I managed to put aside its minor flaws (some bad over acting) because I was having so much fun. This has got to be the best ending Ive seen in a loonng time. If the director did this film with such a low budget, I honestly cant wait to see what this director will do next.

http://images.amazon.com/images/P/B0006A9FKA.01.LZZZZZZZ.jpg

2- Shaun of the Dead - It made me laugh, it had great zombies and good performances. Not to mention a kick ass soundtrack that included some of Queens coolest songs!

http://images.amazon.com/images/P/B0002ABURA.01.LZZZZZZZ.jpg

3- Dawn of the Dead - I personally dont really count this as a re-make. I see it more as a kick ass zombie movie all on its own! Great gore (that chainsaw scene was awesome!) good looking zombies and likable characters (Ving Rhymes...you the man!) made me leave the theater very very satasfied.

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4- The Last Horror Movie - This one was released this year on DVD so thats why Im including it here. A truly original and completely engulfing horror movie. We get an awesome performance with the serial killer Max. We get into his brain...you kind of like him, you kind of see his very intelligent, but the fucker keeps on killing like theres no tomorrow! And he video tapes it for you to watch! Good acting, original idea and great death scenes! And lets not forget that this one has a creepy as hell ending! Highly recommended!

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5- Hellboy - You can tell that this movie was made with a lot of love and passion for the comic book. Its a damn near flawless translation of the comic to film. Ron Perlmans performance as Hellboy is the true highlight of the flick....but throw in some great visual effects, beautiful cinematography and art direction and lots and lots of monsters and you have a great creature feature thats loads of fun. Hey Guillermo, cant wait for the sequel dude!

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6- Chronicles of Riddick - Great sets! Great Art Direction! Great Action sequences! Good CGI Animation that didnt distract from the story! I loved this one from beginning to end...a heavy sci-fi flick influenced by other greats such as Dune! Hey, so what if you have to endure through a few Vin Diesel dumb ass one liners? This movie Rocked!

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7- The Grudge - After having seen both versions, I have to say that the american version of Ju-On was actually preatty good when compared to the original Japanese version. It fleshed out a lot of things and cleared up a lot of things that went unanswered in the original one. It had some truly creepy images and sequences. I personally relish a good ghost story..and my friends this was one of them.

8- King of the Ants - We can allways rely on good old Stuart Gordon to bring us some mirth mayhem and buckets and buckets of blood. Here we see a guy transform himself...from a mild mannered kid who just wants to move up in life...to a relentless killer willing to do anything for revenge. The violence is great and the performances are very believable. Gordon dude, thanx for continuosly giving us horror fans what we crave for! Good flick!

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9- The Butterfly Effect - Like many of you, I was actually surprised that I liked this film. I was expecting to hate myself for having wasted my hard earned cash on a Ashton Kutcher film...but guess what the dude delivered! He managed to keep his annoying side under controll and delivered a good performance, well good enough for me not to want to hurl on my pop corn anyway. The real star of this flick is the story, involving and thought provoking this one had me reflecting on my own life for a while there. Another aspect I enjoyed a lot where the kid actors...the where actually good!

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10- Van Helsing- Most everyone hated this film. I for one found it to be one of the funnest rides of the summer. It was a huge big budget homage to Hammer and Universals monster films. Its got great monster trasnformations and a cool superheroe type character. The only flaw I found in this one was the actor who played Dracula, but I let it go since I was enjoying myself so much. Lots of creatures, Werewolves, Vampires, The Frankenstein Monster....I just had a great time. Whats with all the complaining about CGI? Hey, its a Stephen Sommers flick, you know that was coming with the package didnt you? :D

[EvilDeadGirl]

Heya guys n gals! Here's my list!

1) Shaun of the Dead - Awesome, jes' awesome!

2) The Grudge - It's been a while since a movie gave me nightmares. :)

3) Haute Tension - I haven't seen the thing in it's entirety yet but from what I've seen it's pretty sweet.

[Frank the Tank]

1. Haute Tension - 9.5/10
2. Shaun Of The Dead - 9/10
3. The Butterfly Effect - 9/10
4. Saw - 8.5/10
5. King Of The Ants - 8.5/10
6. Dawn Of The Dead - 7/10

[SAI]

http://cecile.defrance.online.fr/photos/hautetension/hautetension_03.jpg
1: Haute Tension [Switchblade Romance]
Exceptional. Violent and nasty in the vein of the best slashers. Well acted and technically brilliant. Best horror film of the year by a country mile.

http://us.movies1.yimg.com/movies.yahoo.com/images/hv/photo/movie_pix/rogue_pictures/shaun_of_the_dead/_group_photos/dylan_moran5.jpg
2: Shaun Of The Dead
A horror comedy that manages to be an effective example of both genres. Shot through with a fondness for the films it references and containing some of the funniest lines of the year along with some excellent gore (Dylan Moran getting ripped apart).

http://us.movies1.yimg.com/movies.yahoo.com/images/hv/photo/movie_pix/universal_pictures/dawn_of_the_dead/sarah_polley/dead.jpg
3: Dawn Of The Dead: Directors Cut
Much better than anyone expected (in fact for me, not a fan of the original, it's the best film to bear the title). Sarah Polley gives a performance as credible as any shes turned in and the rest of the cast have fun shooting up zombies in this stylish and refreshingly violent take on the Romero film.

[HannibalGuy]

Saw
AvP
Shaun of the Dead
The Last Horror Movie