The Horror film thread

[Adam D]

If I had the choice to go to see one type of movie, 9 times out of 10 I would choose a horror flick. Especially if I could have a few beers before hand.

However, I am married and the wife only ever wants to watch something "light hearted" preferably with Sandra Bullock or Kate Hudson in it. Bloody rom-coms.

Anyway, back to horror films - I love them but dont get to see them very often. However, I still consider myself an afficianado of them, so thought I would start a thread for people to discuss their horror films. Whether it be a question or comment about your favourite slasher movie, put it below.

As a starting point, I just heard that they are remaking one of the most notorious horror films ever made - the Evil Dead. Now before you go off to a cabin in the woods to end it all at this news, their is light at the end of the tunnel. Its being made by Sam Raimi and has Bruce Campbell in it.

Details can be found in the first post below.

So lets hear your views on horror films. Lets see your top 5's. Lets hear what makes you scream out in the night.

[Adam D]

Thanks to Bruce Campbell’s role as Ash in Sam Raimi’s cult classic The Evil Dead series, chainsaws are considered a kick-ass accessory/arm-replacement. The two are up to no good again it seems as Campbell and Raimi are set to remake The Evil Dead for new generations to enjoy.

According to the Hollywood Reporter, Campbell and Raimi will be working with original Evil Dead producer Rob Tapert and Ghost House Pictures on the remake. Writer Fede Alvarez (Panic Attack) has been tapped to write the script with Rodo Sayagues and with Diablo Cody revising the draft.

The trio producing team of Campbell, Raimi and Tapert stated their intentions behind this remake:

“We are committed to making this movie and are inspired by the enduring popularity and enthusiasm for the Evil Dead series. We can’t wait to scare a new generation of moviegoers using filmmaking techniques that were not available to us thirty years ago as well as Fede bringing a fresh eye to the film’s original elements.”

The low-budget Evil Dead in 1981 was what put Sam Raimi on the map as a director. It and sequels Evil Dead II and Army of Darkness also created a loyal fan following for actor Bruce Campbell. The original Evil Dead followed five college kids who unleash evil spirits while vacationing at a cabin in the woods. Ash, played by Campbell, was the only survivor.

Spoiler:

No release date has been set yet for The Evil Dead remake.

source - http://scifimafia.com/2011/07/bruce-campbell-and-sam-raimi-to-remake-the-evil-dead/

[The Womble]

That could be pretty good. I would definitely go and see a remake of Evil Dead.

My top 5 would probably be

1. Carrie - this film left me scarred but I still love it
2. Saw - Brilliant film. end of.
3. Texas Chainsaw Massacre. - Just loved it
4. Poltergeist - Terrified me to my very soul
5 - Scream - Ok maybe not a 'horror' film but still great in its day.

I would love to see Carrie re-made, I reckon its time to petrify a new generation with the genius of Stephen King.

[Sir. badgerhands]

My Top 5.
1) Dawn of The Dead - The original 1970's one.
2) The Grudge (Ju On) - The Japanese original.
3) Halloween - the John Carpenter one.
4) The Fly - Scared the life out of me as a kid.
5) Dawn of the Dead (Remake)

I find most modern day horror movies a bit OTT now. They just seem to consist of torture scenes.

One film I am looking forward to however is World War Z. Book was very good so hoping the film can do it justice.

[Adam D]

My Top 5.
1) Dawn of The Dead - The original 1970's one.
2) The Grudge (Ju On) - The Japanese original.
3) Halloween - the John Carpenter one.
4) The Fly - Scared the life out of me as a kid.
5) Dawn of the Dead (Remake)

I find most modern day horror movies a bit OTT now. They just seem to consist of torture scenes.

One film I am looking forward to however is World War Z. Book was very good so hoping the film can do it justice.

Thats a very good top 5.

I actually loved the Dawn of the Dead remake - think it was just unexpectedly excellent without so much as a fanfare.

I think Halloween has to be at the top of my list. As for what makes up my top 5 though - thats a toughie as I am bound to forget some! Ones to consider:

The Thing
Alien
American Werewolf in London
Rec (1 and 2)
Day of the Dead (the remake was so appalingly bad its funny)
Jaws
Evil Dead 2
A nightmare on Elm Street (the original and 3 are great)
Halloween 1,2 and III

thats off the top of my head though - will think of some other greats later.

[Dass]

In no particular order, though there is a few films that may sneak into the top 5 on another day.

1. Bride of Frankenstein
2. Tale of Two Sisters
3. Audition
4. Martin
5. Night of the Living Dead

[Adam D]

In no particular order, though there is a few films that may sneak into the top 5 on another day.

1. Bride of Frankenstein
2. Tale of Two Sisters
3. Audition
4. Martin
5. Night of the Living Dead

They have just released a trailer for a new animated/CGI version of NotLD - http://www.badmovienite.com/?p=5397

[Dass]

In no particular order, though there is a few films that may sneak into the top 5 on another day.

1. Bride of Frankenstein
2. Tale of Two Sisters
3. Audition
4. Martin
5. Night of the Living Dead

They have just released a trailer for a new animated/CGI version of NotLD - http://www.badmovienite.com/?p=5397

Interesting certainly but after watching the trailer I'm not sure its a good interesting.

[Adam D]

I thought the same - the trailer for Dead Island is better and thats for a game! Have you seen that?

[Dass]

Yeah seen it and its the best trailer yet from that developer, they normally do decent ones on the whole. Not sure the actual game will be up to much which is a shame.

[Dass]

On a slight tangent if anyone was to actually do a faithful version of the book I am Legend to the big screen then it would prob get in my top 5. Its just a shame that the films that have been done are not faithful to the source material in so many ways.

[Cari]

I'm an utter wuss. Can't stand any horror flick - especially gory ones. The nearest I've got is watching The Lost Boys ('80s vampire comedy).

Also, I totally disapprove of this trend in remaking decent films these days. Seems to happen a lot in horror films - I guess that's because they can do more now with special effects and censorship. If it aint broke...

I have read the books of The Omen and The Exorcist. I'm surprised no one's mentioned them yet - especially the original Omen film. Classic horror isn't it?

[Guest]

I like my horror films, but the Mrs cant stand them so I don't get to see too many.

In no order, some of my faves:

The Grudge
Saw
Paranormal Activity
The Hellraiser films (scared me to death as a kid but brilliant!)
Videodrome
Silent Hill

[Kenny]

I love a good horror from b movie slashers to big boxoffice films theres nothing like that shiver down your spine .
But the film i cant watch even now as it freaks me out and im not even sure it would count as a horror film is - Event Horizon

[Doubleagent73]

I love horror films too, but not so much the "torture porn" type. Always had a soft spot for 80s slashers, and Italian 'giallo' horror films from around the same time. Off the top of my head, here are a few favourites..

The Evil Dead
Rec
Suspiria
Friday the 13th (1-4)
The Orphanage
Scream
The Haunting (1963)

There are also plenty of bad, very cheesy horror movies I love for completely different reasons!

[Cari]

Double - The Haunting original is fantastic! I like old black and white supernatural chillers like that. The Innocents with Deborah Kerr is another good one - and that film is apparently classed as "horror" now and Hitchcock's Rebecca. That's as horrific I can go I think!

[dyrewolfe]

I think a lot of modern "horror" movies are aimed squarely at teenagers, with a lot of B-movie shocks, gore and twisted humour.

The films that have scared me the most tend to be ones where the suspense it built up beforehand and you don't see the killer / creature / supernatural entity, until at least halfway through.

That said, B-movie horror flicks can still be entertaining, if not that scary.

My top 5 would probably be a mix of both:


1. Alien
2. Jaws (still has some of the best scary music, suspense and shocks ever)
3. The Thing
4. A Nightmare on Elm Street
5. Deliverance

Also getting honourable mentions from me are Event Horizon, Dog Soldiers, Silent Hill, Jeepers Creepers, Wolf Creek, Se7en and the Saw movies.

[Sir. badgerhands]

Double - The Haunting original is fantastic! I like old black and white supernatural chillers like that. The Innocents with Deborah Kerr is another good one - and that film is apparently classed as "horror" now and Hitchcock's Rebecca. That's as horrific I can go I think!

Speaking of black and white horrors, I remember seeing an old Bette Davis film called The Nanny (I may be wrong) that spooked me as a child.

Of course can't mention black and white without mentioning Night of The Living Dead an absolute corking movie.

[Cari]

NOTLD's too disturbing for me Sir B. I'm such a wuss!

[Sir. badgerhands]

NOTLD's too disturbing for me Sir B. I'm such a wuss!

You're talking to a man who screamed like Ned Flanders in the cinema while watching Paranormal Activity. So I cerainly won't be mocking your good self!!!

[Dass]

While I think NOTLD/Haunting among others are wonderful pieces of work in so many ways, the Bride of Frankenstein is still without doubt the best black/white horror film to be made.

[Cari]

Sir B - isn't that supposed to be a very scary film though? In that it's got lots of shock/jumpy moments? Sometimes that's worse than gore...

[dyrewolfe]

Silence of the Lambs certainly rates in my all-time, top 10 horror movies.

The Hills Have Eyes is another fairly disturbing movie.

[Cari]

Dyre - do you mean the original Hills or the remake?

Has anyone here seen the original First House On The Left - apparently that's a classic from the '70s.

[Dass]

Hills Have Eyes is one of those select movies in the horror genre that the remake was the superior piece of film.

I've seen the original Last House on the Left and it indeed is a classic of the genre and brought us the talents of Wes Craven. Again I'm a bigger fan of the remake though for pure gore.violence and slasher horror feel the original wins out.

[Adam D]

The original just felt nastier and seedier which is something you dont get in todays cinema.

There are very few remakes that better the original - Dawn of the Dead is the one I will offer up as being a controversial choice.

[TipToes88]

The remake was good as an action movie, but I preffered the first one for the whole survival element.

Just out of interest does anyone know who did the lounge version of down with the sickness for that movie? And also was the guy who comes in with his teen daughter and has to be shot after he turns the guy from the first one, they look hella similar

[Dass]

Ah but I often think that has more to do with how desensitised we as a society have become to when some of the these films had their original airings on the big screen. Last House is a perfect example at the time of its release it had people leaving in flocks before the end due to the violence including reviewers you'd be lucky if anyone batted more than an eyelid if they were re-screened today.

While Dawn of the Dead is not a horrific remake by any stretch of the imagination it lacks the originals tongue in cheek commentary on society and misses out some of the special features that made the original a joy to watch on many levels. Also the increased cast of characters was not a positive for the remake.

While its rare over most genres for a remake to eclipse the original and in many cases to be considered anywhere near as good is a success I do think horror has more than most genres.

[Sir. badgerhands]

The original just felt nastier and seedier which is something you dont get in todays cinema.

There are very few remakes that better the original - Dawn of the Dead is the one I will offer up as being a controversial choice.

Hobo, how cold you!!!!

I've watched the orignal so many times and for me it has it all.

It's also one of the most unintentionally funny films of all time.

That being said I loved the remake. But prefer to view them as completely seperate entities, actually hoping they make a follow up.

[Sir. badgerhands]

Just out of interest does anyone know who did the lounge version of down with the sickness for that movie? And also was the guy who comes in with his teen daughter and has to be shot after he turns the guy from the first one, they look hella similar

The guy you speak of was 1980's icon Max Headroom!!

All those under 30 will now be stratching their head!!

[dyrewolfe]

Dyre - do you mean the original Hills or the remake?

Has anyone here seen the original First House On The Left - apparently that's a classic from the '70s.

Only seen the remake, but I will try and catch the original, to see how they compare.

[Kenny]

Just out of interest does anyone know who did the lounge version of down with the sickness for that movie? And also was the guy who comes in with his teen daughter and has to be shot after he turns the guy from the first one, they look hella similar

The guy you speak of was 1980's icon Max Headroom!!

All those under 30 will now be stratching their head!!

Matt Frewer is his name .

[Sir. badgerhands]

Just out of interest does anyone know who did the lounge version of down with the sickness for that movie? And also was the guy who comes in with his teen daughter and has to be shot after he turns the guy from the first one, they look hella similar

The guy you speak of was 1980's icon Max Headroom!!

All those under 30 will now be stratching their head!!

Matt Frewer is his name .

He'll always be old Maxy Headroom to me

[Kenny]

Just out of interest does anyone know who did the lounge version of down with the sickness for that movie? And also was the guy who comes in with his teen daughter and has to be shot after he turns the guy from the first one, they look hella similar

The guy you speak of was 1980's icon Max Headroom!!

All those under 30 will now be stratching their head!!

Matt Frewer is his name .

He'll always be old Maxy Headroom to me

Watched him in Sherlock Holmes and the Hound of the Baskervilles on movies4men last week

[Sir. badgerhands]

Just remembered that there is actually one guy in the Dawn of the Dead remake and the original.

The black preacher who they're watching on tv when they first get to the shopping mall in the remake is the main character fom the original.

[Cari]

Max Headroom! There's a blast from the past....I wondered what he was up to these days.

Dass - I think you're right about the desensitisation of audiences these days. People over a certain age will remember the video nasties furore of 1984 which listed specific film titles (mostly horror films) that were considered so "nasty" they were subject to heavy censorship.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Video_nasty#Effects_of_the_Video_Recordings_Act_1984

If you read through the list of banned films, many of them have been reissued since.

[Adam D]

The video nasty list was like a wish list for me growing up.

I will have a look later when I have time and tell you which ones I saw in my impressionable years.

Havent looked yet but I would guess there would be Evil Dead, Nightmares in a Damaged Brain and Anthropigous the Beast on that list that I saw.

[Cari]

Hobo - I was too young, but I remember my older siblings watching The Evil Dead in the house and they were definitely underage at the time. My sister watched one horror film (I think it was called Absurd) that upset her so much she smashed a window trying to get into the house quickly

[cyberschizoid]

What's the point in Bruce Campbell being in a remake of Evil Dead? If they're going to remake it then at least make it 100% fresh!

I hate most recent Hollywood remakes but not against the concept per se. And the original is (dare i say it?) a little dated now.

If they make it scary I say go for it. If it's gonna be a comedy then i'm not interested.

[Adam D]

What's the point in Bruce Campbell being in a remake of Evil Dead? If they're going to remake it then at least make it 100% fresh!

I hate most recent Hollywood remakes but not against the concept per se. And the original is (dare i say it?) a little dated now.

If they make it scary I say go for it. If it's gonna be a comedy then i'm not interested.

I reckon ASh would only make a cameo and not be the star (well not with Bruce Campbell anyway).

The third film was great (both endings) and I hope they pull away from the full on comedy that took place in the third one at times.

If its anything like the Elm Street remake, its not worth it, if its like the Dawn remake, go for it.

Welcome aboard Cyber Glad you joined us from the Twittersphere.

[The Galveston Giant]

Max Headroom! There's a blast from the past....I wondered what he was up to these days.

Dass - I think you're right about the desensitisation of audiences these days. People over a certain age will remember the video nasties furore of 1984 which listed specific film titles (mostly horror films) that were considered so "nasty" they were subject to heavy censorship.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Video_nasty#Effects_of_the_Video_Recordings_Act_1984

If you read through the list of banned films, many of them have been reissued since.

Have seen Cannibal Holocaust off that list.

[Dass]

What's the point in Bruce Campbell being in a remake of Evil Dead? If they're going to remake it then at least make it 100% fresh!

I hate most recent Hollywood remakes but not against the concept per se. And the original is (dare i say it?) a little dated now.

If they make it scary I say go for it. If it's gonna be a comedy then i'm not interested.

Thing is a lot of Sam Raimi's films have had a underlying comedic and grandeur flair to them, so it would be very surprising if he went away from that style now. Just look at his other films Drag me to Hell, Darkman and the whole Evil Dead series and you can see these influences running through the films.

As for a Evil Dead remake well I think in the initial scripts Bruce wasn't going to be playing the main role and other than going to a cabin in the woods the rest of the story was going to be different, thats all changed with multiple rewrites since but gives you an idea of their thinking at least. The other major thing about this film is Sam Raimi is NOT directing that duty is getting past to first time director (full film at least) Fede Alvarez, having seen some of his short film work its impossible to say what you'll get from him but I'd imagine a more serious tone to proceedings would be one. It could work well with Raimi's more dark minded humour and content coupled with a more cohesive movie experience and story telling from Fede or it could just be a another unscary horror movie without the originals underlying charms.

The other big problem is how do you make a film scary in todays society part of the reason most remakes of slashers get slammed by viewers is for the fact they are not as scary, when in fact they often are and in many cases are as good if not better than the originals in some ways. The problem has arisen that because we are no longer scared as easily then these films are not as good, release both films 35yrs ago though and even under the better production values of the remake you'd often find a better film and movie experience lurking about. I'm not saying every remake is better but the horror genre has more of them than nearly any other genre of film I can think of, there has been some truly shocking films remade 13 Ghosts comes to mind.

[Adam D]

They are also remaking Hellraiser at the moment:

Picture of Pinhead:

Spoiler:

If you want to see some gorier pictures go to - http://www.dreadcentral.com/news/46574/exclusive-first-official-stills-hellraiser-revelations?view=/gallery/hellraiser/hellr3x#gallery

[Sir. badgerhands]

Making me feel very old when they start remaking movies that I remember from my youth.

First Nighmare on Elm Street, Halloween, Texas Chainsaw Massacre.
And now Fright Night, Evil Dead and Hellraiser!!!

I wouldn't mind but remakes of the above seemed to lose whatever charm they had.

I'm off to live in the woods me thinks.

[Cari]

Sir B - that's how I feel when I see teenagers dressed in similar clothes to the ones I wore when I was about ten! I can't believe some of them have come back into fashion!

[Adam D]

Sir B - that's how I feel when I see teenagers dressed in similar clothes to the ones I wore when I was about ten! I can't believe some of them have come back into fashion!

Your fashion is horrific!

I am looking forward to Fright Night, I gotta admit.

Hellraiser never really interested me (although I saw 2 and 3 in the cinema).

[Cari]

HOBO - I'm not a follower of fashion at all....it what I see girls wearing these days. Just made me think I used to have similar things years ago. And that's where it's staying - consigned to history!

David Tennant was on the radio this morning talking about Fright Night.

[Sir. badgerhands]

Once I saw Fright Night was starring Colin "Potty Mouth" Farrell it put me off.

A friend of mine also mentioned that Robocop is being remade!!

[Cari]

No! They can't remake Robocop! It spawned a top 20 hit for a start (Silver Bullet "20 Seconds To Comply").

Didn't they do a TV series of it in recent years?

[Dass]

No! They can't remake Robocop! It spawned a top 20 hit for a start (Silver Bullet "20 Seconds To Comply").

Didn't they do a TV series of it in recent years?

There was a tv series back in the mid 90's the less said the better, it was Robocop the PG version.

[Sponsored content]