Horror Movies

[MadsenOMC]

To set the record straight, since some might question my sincerity later on, let me be perfectly clear: I love horror movies. I consider myself to be a passionate, slightly deranged movie buff, and horror is and has always been my favorite genre.

I’ll never forget when I fell in love with horror. Two incidents took place that forever changed me. First, my grandmother (may she rest in peace) took me to see Pet Sematary, against my mother’s wishes. It is my first vivid movie theater memory. I was petrified and watched the last 10 minutes through my hands.

The experience was visceral and intense. Much to my surprise, despite being scared shitless, I loved every second of it. When the lights came up, everything was fine. It was just a movie.

The second incident occurred not long after. A close friend had a sleepover party for his birthday. His mom didn’t care if we watched R-rated movies, and she rented us Cronenberg’s The Fly.

Watching it was an experience extremely similar to Pet Sematary, except this time I was in a house rather than a theater, surrounded by friends. But again, there was the sheer joy of being absolutely terrified and loving every second of it.

I have been a rabid horror freak ever since. I see anything and everything I can in the genre. The classics, ‘70s and ‘80s slashers, J-horror and their Hollywood remakes. And so on and so forth. Though there are still more that I need to see and I certainly don’t consider myself a horror expert, I feel like I am well-versed in the genre and know what I’m talking about (for the most part).

So, now that my genre credentials are established, the ranting portion begins. These days, I find myself hating most modern horror offerings, and I don’t seem to see eye to eye with the majority of horror fans out there.

The release of Saw II shares most of the responsibility for inspiring this rant. I remember my anticipation for the first one quite well. The insanely positive buzz had me giddy to see it. Horror geeks were going crazy for it, and I fully expected to be seriously fucked up by it. Nowadays, I think it takes a lot for a horror flick to truly frighten us hardened fans, but I really thought Saw would pull it off.

I hope that this doesn’t offend fans of the movie, of which I know there are many. I realize that my opinion is the minority among horror fans when it comes to Saw.

That said, I hated it. I laughed my ass off throughout the entire movie. The acting is some of the worst I have ever seen in a wide release horror movie. The writing is painfully bad. There are too many clichés to count, particularly in the scenes with Danny Glover. Yes, there are a few effective moments and a couple of the traps are cool, but for the most part it isn’t scary or disturbing at all.

It’s a good concept that fails in execution. Maybe it was the rushed shooting schedule or the low budget, or both. But the final product falls short of mediocre. It is hardly a classic or one of the best modern horror movies. The ardent worship it receives continues to mystify me.

I feel like this happens a lot with horror movies these days. A movie gets a ton of hype from the fans, I let my anticipation escalate, and then when I finally see it, it’s nothing but disappointment.

Some might say that I am being too picky, or that I need to control my expectations. For example, someone told me that bashing The Fog remake is unfair because it has modest intentions and never pretends to be anything it’s not.

On all counts, I say bullshit. I didn’t expect The Fog 2005 to keep me up at night, but there’s no excuse for something that poorly constructed. I didn’t expect Doom to be as good as Aliens, but I didn’t expect something so ridiculously stale and tedious. I didn’t expect Saw to instantly become my favorite horror movie ever, but I did expect solid scares and plenty of unsettling moments (which I didn’t receive).

Before I see a horror flick, I am fully aware of what its intentions are. I love a good cheesefest as much as anyone; something that’s full of gore and tits and doesn’t take itself too seriously. I fully appreciate that kind of movie and watch them often.

But sometimes, I want to be scared. I want my head to be messed with. I want images that freak me out and stay with me for days or weeks afterward. I want the unexpected. I want to squirm in my seat. I want to feel shivers. When a movie aspires to deliver most of all of this, and when promises are made that it does, it is not unreasonable to be disappointed when it fails to live up to those promises.

Wrong Turn didn’t cut it. Dawn of the Dead 2004 didn’t cut it. Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2003 didn’t cut it. The Amityville Horror 2005 didn’t cut it. The Devil’s Rejects and House of 1,000 Corpses sure as hell didn’t cut it. I’ll stop there, because I think you get the idea.

Though their popularity varies on an individual basis, each one was at least fairly popular with horror fans. At least the ones I know and talked to. But I didn’t care for any of them, and some I hated. It has nothing to do with whether or not it’s a remake. I judge each movie on its own merits, and nothing else.

None of them scared me. None of them had me on the edge of my seat. None of them shocked me or gave me something unexpected. Either they beat me over the head with loud noises and cheap scares, or they thought shock value alone was enough to be frightening, or they followed genre conventions too closely, or they were poorly written and/or directed, or they were a little bit of all that. Either way, as a horror fanatic, each one left me wanting more.

To wrap things up, since I have already gone on for too long, I sincerely hope that Saw II is a great flick, though the way it was rushed into and through production has me a little worried. I would've loved a
good scare this Halloween.

I am only hard on horror because of how much I love it and want it to succeed. It angers me that many film snobs don’t take the genre seriously or even consider it "legitimate". So I am harsh because I care. I am (at times) hard to please and easily let down because I care. In my opinion, to be critical of something you love merely proves devotion. As long as you’re always fair and balanced.

[Deckard]

For the record I see films like SAW as thrillers not horror but anyway thats a different rant...

"MadsenOMC" I agree completly that 95% of modern horror films should be TV movies or straight to video releases (escpecially most all remakes of classics).

Its worth mentioning that the older you get and the more exposed to horror cinema you become the less chance there is of feeling genuine fear and being scared to the bone.
For me when i watch a good horror film fear has been replaced with excitment and elation at seeing clever psychological manipulation, inventive gore or respectful homage.


With that in mind here are a few movies that I thought stand above the pack as far as quality horror goes in the last few years.


MAY
FRAILTY
WILLARD (remake)- I know , I know, but its the only modern horror remake to equal the original.
CABIN FEVER
HAUTE TENSION
WOLF CREEK

IMO these are good horror entertainment and provide chills, quality carnage and a forboding atmosphere..


Hope some of these give you a little faith......................



oh and in the coming soon arena keep an eye out for HOSTEL the new one from Eli Roth (Cabin Fever) it sounds rivetting

[MadsenOMC]

Haven't seen Wolf Creek or Willard, but I totally agree with you about May, Frailty, Haute Tension and Cabin Fever. Love them all and they do give me hope.

[ilovemovies]

The Blair Witch Project and Open Water are the two best horror movies of recent years. Both are absolutely terrific and pack quite a wallop!

[someguy]

I agree with you on this rant Madsen, horror is not doing too well. The last great horror was A Tale of Two Sisters, although there's maybe two actual scare scenes in that. Pulse did it too.

I notice that sometimes people just get dismissed if they like Asian horror films. I think that it's dumb to do that. I've been made fun of for being into J-horror (more of just Asia in general though) but I don't think these people realize. When was the last really great horror movie made and released in America? May was just okay, Frailty is an underrated gem but it doesn't deliver any good scares, Willard was entertaining but forgettable, Cabin Fever is horrible and Haute Tension got bogged down by a bad ending.

There are good horror movies out there, most definitely. But there isn't the one that sticks to you. Where is the movie that stays with you for days and makes you nervous to turn the lights off? The last American made movie that did it for me was Session 9, and that was about 2-3 years ago. Asia is banging out good horror movies a lot (well, I should say was since most movies are in a slump right now there in terms of scares).

Madsen, what was the last great horror for you, and what are your thoughts on the Asian horror market?

[MadsenOMC]

I love Asian horror. I have been renting them like crazy. Premonition, A Tale of Two Sisters, H, Phone, Samaritan Girl, Cure, I could go on and on. Whenever a new one comes out at my local video store, I rent it. I've been trying to rent Spider Forest, but it's out every time I go to the store. I don't think there's any comparison between Asian horror and Hollywood, in terms of quality. They go for mood and tension, while Hollywood is mostly about cheap scares and MTV editing.

The last great horror movie for me was probably Session 9. I, too, am a huge fan of that one. It's good from start to finish.

[someguy]

How is Cure? I was watching some of that the other day and it was going good. If you liked that, go see Pulse (not the remake obviously). I don't know when it's coming out though.

Oh yeah, what did you think about Two Sisters?

[NightStalkerGtx]

wolf creek and hostal look amazing hopefully im right we can only ait and see,

[eytank]

I am only hard on horror because of how much I love it and want it to succeed. It angers me that many film snobs don’t take the genre seriously or even consider it "legitimate". So I am harsh because I care. I am (at times) hard to please and easily let down because I care. In my opinion, to be critical of something you love merely proves devotion. As long as you’re always fair and balanced.

There is a reason why many don't consider horror movies legitimate. Being a film snob, I only consider a movie great (or even good) if it moves me, stimulates me, and continues to do so after multiple veiwings. As a rule, almost no horror movie does. They have a singular purpose, to scare people shitless. They're kind of like roller coasters. A fun experience, but in the end, its meaningless. Don't get me wrong, I love watching horror movies. I love the thrill. But there is no thrill watching it a second time. I already know what the surpises will be, so for the movie to further interest me, there has to be something more, which almost all horror movies lack.

[MisterTwister]

I think Horror is doing alright. Saw II is making good money at the box office. To me, that's hopeful. I don't mind PG-13 horror or remakes but they need to cut down on them a bit and release more hardcore original horror movies. Hostel looks great. I am also looking forward to Final Destination 3 and Wolf Creek.

I have no interest in The Fog remake. I was never a big fan of the original so thats why.

Madsen, i believe you are a horror fan but when you look at it it doesn't seem so (with movies this year specially) But to each their own.

What are you top 5 horror flicks?

[MadsenOMC]

Originally posted by MisterTwister

Madsen, i believe you are a horror fan but when you look at it it doesn't seem so (with movies this year specially) But to each their own.

What are you top 5 horror flicks?

Why? Because I didn't like Saw II, The Fog or Doom? I'm sure I'm not alone there.

As for my top 5 horror flicks, that's hard. Can I pick an entire series? Off the top of my head right now, I'd say Black Christmas, Psycho, Rosemary's Baby, the original TCM and the Friday the 13th series (for an entry that's more fun and less serious).

I, too, am looking forward to Hostel, Wolf Creek and Final Destination 3 (I love the first two).

[someguy]

Originally posted by MisterTwister
Madsen, i believe you are a horror fan but when you look at it it doesn't seem so (with movies this year specially) But to each their own.

Uhh...the basis of his rant is about how bad recent horror films are

[MadsenOMC]

I never said Pet Semetary is a horror classic. I used it to illustrate where I got my love for the genre. Maybe there was never a time when horror movies were consistently great, but there are a couple of trends that I think have become all too typical in the genre, and I think it's only recently that it's become that way. I can't wait to see The Descent. I have high hopes for that one.

[Tuukka]

Originally posted by MadsenOMC
I’ll never forget when I fell in love with horror. Two incidents took place that forever changed me. First, my grandmother (may she rest in peace) took me to see Pet Sematary, against my mother’s wishes. It is my first vivid movie theater memory. I was petrified and watched the last 10 minutes through my hands.

I watched Pet Sematary in theatres when it came out. I thought it was a decent film back then. I rewatched it again last winter, and still thought it was decent. I would give it 5/10, maybe 6/10.

Pet Sematary got generally poor reviews back in the day. Currently it's 44% fresh at rottemtomatoes with a 4.8 average grade. The audience response was always pretty indifferent to the movie, even back in the day me and my friends thought the film was OK, but pretty mediocre, generic and cheesy. And not scary at all. Currenly it's 5.8 at IMDB.

My point?

Well, maybe horror movies never got any worse. You just grew older, and became more demanding. It's easy to look at older films with nostalgy-tinted glasses and overlook all their flaws.

And it's hard to get that same thrill anymore that you got when you were a kid.

Here are just some of the excellent horror movies I've seen since 2000, and these are just from the top of my mind. If I would seriously think it over, I would get at least 10 more movies which would be 7/10's, or better.

The Others 9/10
Dark Water (original) 8/10
Shaun Of The Dead 8/10
The Ring 8/10
28 days later 8/10
Frailty 8/10 (More of a thriller, thought)
Dog Soldiers 8/10
Saw 8/10
Session 9 7/10
Cabin Fever 7/10
Devil's Backbone 7/10
Haute Tension 7/10
Dead End 7/10
Blade 2 7/10
Dawn Of The Dead 2004 7/10

Oh, and I'm getting The Descent as an import DVD next week... It looks fucking awesome.

...The thing is, there have never been too many good horror movies. For the most part horror movies are complete crap. Always have been. In fact many of the classics of the genre are either mediocre, or crap. But nostalgy can really go a long way.

Madsen, it would be interesting to see like your top 50 horror movies of all time, since it would surely be pretty easy to tear a great deal of those movies apart thanks to bad acting, writing or directing. It's not like horror movies have ever been consinstent in high quality.

The great majority of horror movies have always been crap. Nothing has changed in that regard. And we are still getting a good share of great horror movies - Just as many as we've ever got.

Right now it seems that I'm getting around 15-20 great horror movies during this decade. Films which are either 8/10's, or better. No other decade has given me more. 90's in fact gave me less.

[slasherfan]

I haven;t had a major problem with horror lately. I enjoyed the hell out of Saw 2, House Of Wax, The Descent, Wolf Creek, The Devil's Rejects, Dead & Breakfast, 2001 Maniacs, Hellbent, Venom, Amityville, Cursed (R rated version)
Sure there have been a few stinkers this year Cursed (PG-13 rated version), Darkness, The Fog, White Noise, Alone In The Dark, Boogeyman and Cry_Wolf are to me the worst offenders.
Next years looks like it could be fun with When A Stranger Calls, Hatchet, Final Destination 3, Feast, See No Evil behind among some I'm really looking forwards to.

[MisterTwister]

Originally posted by someguy
Uhh...the basis of his rant is about how bad recent horror films are

I know.

I was making a comment to Madsen, NOT YOU.

I think the whole rant of horror movies being bad recently is a matter of opinion. I don't think there that bad. I've seen waaay worse.


My top 10 horror flicks

1. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974)
2. Dawn of the Dead (1978)
3. The Exorcist
4. Friday the 13th
5. A Nightmare On Elm Street
6. Halloween
7. Hellraiser
8.The Omen
9. Battle Royale
10. Phantasm

[MadsenOMC]

Originally posted by MisterTwister
I know.

I was making a comment to Madsen, NOT YOU.

I think the whole rant of horror movies being bad recently is a matter of opinion. I don't think there that bad. I've seen waaay worse.


My top 10 horror flicks

1. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974)
2. Dawn of the Dead (1978)
3. The Exorcist
4. Friday the 13th
5. A Nightmare On Elm Street
6. Halloween
7. Hellraiser
8.The Omen
9. Battle Royale
10. Phantasm

It's definitely a matter of opinion. I realize that many horror buffs like a lot of the recent genre offerings that I hate. I just wanted to vent. And I am a fan of your entire top 10. Great list.

[someguy]

Originally posted by MisterTwister
I know.

I was making a comment to Madsen, NOT YOU.


oh my, did i get you angry?

You're saying that he doesn't seem like a horror fan with his ratings for this year, and his rant is about how horror movies this year are bad. Anyone can figure that out.

[MisterTwister]

Originally posted by someguy
oh my, did i get you angry?

You're saying that he doesn't seem like a horror fan with his ratings for this year, and his rant is about how horror movies this year are bad. Anyone can figure that out.

"To set the record straight, since some might question my sincerity later on, let me be perfectly clear: I love horror movies. "

I was referring to that.

[CMAGUS]

To me and this is just my opinion but it seems over the last few years they have been slowly trying to weed horror films out of mainstream.I am not talking pussy ring shit like real horror films.It seems as if they grab at any little thing to stop them.Devils rejects for example "A few people have thrown up while watching this movie,Plus the film is incredibly violent" That's there reason for not playing it and it gets banned in many theaters but you know what those above excuses are bullshit bottom line when the poster was released of the firefly family reinacting the last supper the christian groups went ape shit and went after the film which got it banned in some theaters,why was it banned? High tension was in theaters and its equally as graphic and violent so why not this film as well?.Back on subject though the only time you ever see horror films getting any publicity is if it's around halloween time other than that nothing,never heard a damn thing about High Tension or anything.
It's ridiculous I use to be a huge horror fan but because of so much bull I've slowly drifted from the genre.Im tired of them making films or even bringing back older franchises just to shit on them and put them in theaters so the teenagers can go and see them.

[lunatic]

Originally posted by ilovemovies
The Blair Witch Project and Open Water are the two best horror movies of recent years. Both are absolutely terrific and pack quite a wallop!

?????????????????????????????????????????????????? ?????????????????????????????????????????????????? ????????????????

:confused: :confused: :confused: :confused: :confused: :confused:

Humour! I like that!

[Trail_Blazer]

Blair Witch, yes. Open Water? Hell fucking no.

Cabin fucking Fever? Are you KIDDING ME? It was pure fucking garbage from start to finish... I would MUCH rather watch Uwe Boll's "House of the Dead" then haveta suffer through that fucking piece of drek they call a "movie"... And that's sayin something! :p

[CMAGUS]

LMAO whoa whoa whoa Im sorry but you can hate Cabin Fever but please don't say you rather watch House of the Dead lmao that is the worst horror film in existance

[TrippingBalls]

THE RING IS NOT SCARY. I REPEAT, GET YOUR HEADS OUT OF YOUR ASSES, THE RING IS NOT SCARY AND NEVER WAS SCARY. THE RING FUCKIN SUCKS.

With that said, Frailty and Cabin Fever are the best movies to come out of the horror genre within the last couple years.

[Badbird]

I don't like horror movies as a rule. Why? Because the people who make horror movies assume the person watching the movie will blindly accept the most ludicrous plot, monumentally retarded characters, and inane responses to obviously bad situations. Like they can just take a shit, feed it to us and expect us to enjoy it.

The makers of horror expect absolutely nothing from horror fans. In fact, they expect them to be dumb as shit and willing to watch anything no matter how little fucking sense it makes.

What I hate more than anything that the entire genre does is the "Gotcha!" ending, setting up every single horror movie for some kind of franchise as if it's pure gold and people want more! More! More!

Like I fucking want Halloween 9.

But when once in a blue moon a horror movie is done well and done right, it can be a thing of beauty. Right now as a whole, I'd say the genre sits at 95% crap, 5% quality.

[BadCoverVersion]

http://images-eu.amazon.com/images/P/B000A8NZ0O.02.LZZZZZZZ.jpg

GET IT!

Faith will be restored duder.

[someguy]

The Descent is great, but I didn't find it as good as many have been going on about. It's a strong movie with a few nice jump scenes (that one take scene with the two girls turning a corner was done well). Plus I liked the ending a lot, but I don't consider it anything amazing or brilliant. Just a strong horror movie overall.

Don't think that I am not liking the movie though. It's the best horror movie this year, but then again there isn't much for it to compete with.

[BadCoverVersion]

Originally posted by someguy
The Descent is great, but I didn't find it as good as many have been going on about. It's a strong movie with a few nice jump scenes (that one take scene with the two girls turning a corner was done well). Plus I liked the ending a lot, but I don't consider it anything amazing or brilliant. Just a strong horror movie overall.

Don't think that I am not liking the movie though. It's the best horror movie this year, but then again there isn't much for it to compete with.

Well, what I'm getting is you like it...but um, you don't like it as much as nameless others did. But you like it all the same.

Oh someguy you confusing little monkey you!

I thought it was absolutely superb...the best horror movie in years and genuinely exhilirating. My heart was going 10 to the dozen for the last 30 minutes or so. And whilst the boo scares come off for the most part, it's the whole terrifyingly claustrophobic environment and the actual 'baddies' that really, REALLY fucking hit the mark! I like the fact that even after 'it' is revealed, 'it' remains scary as all fuck!

I think it's pretty similar to Alien in mood meself...and it's easily as terrifying.

[daddiefatsacks]

i agree that over time...you do become a bit desensitize, and not as easy to get scared for a movie...but HOSTEL was one movie that freaked the shit out of me, and had my hands clammy for a good chunk of it.

good rant Madsen...

[TATU]

I mean Christ, look at all the solid horror movies that've come out this year alone!

1. High Tension
2. Venom
3. Cry Wolf
4. Land Of The Dead
5. House of Wax (Surprisingly fun for what it is)
6. SAW 2
7. Undead
8. The Amityville Horror 2005

All good or very decent fun. And 7 of the 8 are "R" Rated as well, so don't bitch about that.

[ChemicalRomance]

Originally posted by BadCoverVersion
I thought it was absolutely superb...the best horror movie in years and genuinely exhilirating. My heart was going 10 to the dozen for the last 30 minutes or so. And whilst the boo scares come off for the most part, it's the whole terrifyingly claustrophobic environment and the actual 'baddies' that really, REALLY fucking hit the mark! I like the fact that even after 'it' is revealed, 'it' remains scary as all fuck!

I think it's pretty similar to Alien in mood meself...and it's easily as terrifying.

I finished watching the Descent about 30 minutes ago, and my heart is still pumping fast.

http://www.upcominghorrormovies.com/images/descent.jpg

This will be in America soon enough considering Lions Gate has it. But you should not wait to see this. This is horror done absolutely flawessly. I don't remember the last time a movie had me so drawn in and terrified. I'm so happy I watched this because it smacked me in the face with it's breakneck pace and scares and the gore made me scream out loud.

As for the state of horror recently, I'm pretty annoyed as well. Movies like THE GRUDGE will continue to make 100's and millions of dollars from teens like myself who go to them just to get a few cheap 'boo' scares tied in together with a cardboard plot. Money's the name of the game so when something like that does well, every other horror studio is just going to strive to copy it and get that green stuff. I bought a French HAUTE TENSION dvd before it came out in US theaters and was amazed by the movie. Gore wise. I'm sorry people but the ending puts a hole in that movie so big you can drive a fucking car through it.

I loved Saw (9/10), but I have never seen it as a movie that was looking to "scare". Even when I first saw the trailer for it months before it came out I didn't think it was going to be scary...just...cool and interesting. I don't even really look at Saw as a horror movie per-se. It's a hard one to categorize. Thriller? I don't know. The last saving grace for 2005 horror would be Eli Roth's HOSTEL which looks like it is going to kick so much ass it should be illegal.

More originality, more balls, better stories. Horror will be repaired.

[MadsenOMC]

Originally posted by TATU
I mean Christ, look at all the solid horror movies that've come out this year alone!

1. High Tension
2. Venom
3. Cry Wolf
4. Land Of The Dead
5. House of Wax (Surprisingly fun for what it is)
6. SAW 2
7. Undead
8. The Amityville Horror 2005

All good or very decent fun. And 7 of the 8 are "R" Rated as well, so don't bitch about that.

Considering that Venom, Undead, Saw II, Amityville Horror 2005 and House of Wax all completely suck, while Cry Wolf is painfully mediocre, I would say that this rant is far from ridiculous. Land of the Dead and High Tension are the only good or decent movies on that list.