MovieMeditation presents... &quot;His Top 50 Favorite Horror Films!&quot;

Friendo.

05-08-15

Originally Posted by False Writer

Big rep for the DOTD remake, huge fan of that one! I've seen Urban Legend but barely remember it and haven't seen The Crazies.

I knew the DotD remake would catch some attention!

Thanks for checking in!

honeykid

MoFo Whisperer

05-08-15

I repped this the moment I saw you'd included Urban Legend.

I've not seen that in forever, but I really liked it. I know I'm a big slasher fan (I even like Cherry Falls which no one seems to like at all) but I thought Urban Legend did its stuff well. Alicia Witt being in it was a big pull initially and was the reason I saw it, but now she's just a bonus. But what a bonus.

I liked the DotD remake, too. Again, I've only seen it the once, but thought it managed to be its own film, whilst obviously following the lead of the original.

I didn't like The Crazies remake, but then I didn't like the original much either. It's 70's horror and that's the only reason I like it. Without that, I found it completely charmless.

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Cole416

I have to return some videotapes.

05-08-15

Dawn of The Dead remake is probably a top 10 horror movie for me. So great and the lead actress (I think it's like Sarah Holly) was just perfect.

cricket

Registered User

05-09-15

I think Dawn of the Dead and The Crazies are two of the best horror remakes ever. Not quite up there with The Thing and The Fly, but definitely in that second tier. Both are excellent!

MovieMeditation

Friendo.

05-09-15

Originally Posted by cricket

I think Dawn of the Dead and The Crazies are two of the best horror remakes ever. Not quite up there with The Thing and The Fly, but definitely in that second tier. Both are excellent!

Oh no, definitely not touching The Fly or The Thing but that's expected... those two should not even be considered remakes (well, neither should these but you know what I mean)!

But I'm glad there is finally somone acknowledging The Crazies, because I thought I was going crazy here for genuinely thinking it was great. Thanks for checking in, cricket!

cricket

Registered User

05-09-15

Yea I liked The Crazies enough to show it to my wife and she enjoyed it too.

MovieMeditation

Friendo.

05-09-15

Originally Posted by cricket

Yea I liked The Crazies enough to show it to my wife and she enjoyed it too.

Yeah, funnyingly enough I showed this to my mom and she actually liked it a lot too!

But hey, she likes both The Thing and The Fly as well, so her great taste in film is expected! haha

Originally Posted by Chypmunk

Can't say I've ever seen Urban Legend and only ever seen the original of The Crazies but if the remake is as good as you say will certainly check it out at some point as I enjoyed the original. The Dawn Of The Dead remake is darn good.

Yeah I would say check it out. Especially if you like my description of it, and cricket says it's great too so I'm not the only one here!

But your love for the original may let your down with the remake I don't know, I haven't seen the original so I couldn't really tell ya.

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Daniel M

...

05-09-15

I thought The Crazies was okay, but I haven't seen the original. That was a few years ago though and I don't know if I'd like it now. Not seen the others.

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christine

Dreams is freedom

05-09-15

and so carries on being a great list with excellent summings up

Since I read your list a while ago, the ones I like are -
Triangle - I didn't know anything about this when I watched it some years ago, and what a surprise. It's a decent tight thriller.
The Exorcist - I have the advantage of watching it back in the day before people started parodying it, and believe me there was nothing to laugh about in it!
From Dusk Till Dawn - not seen it for years but remember enjoying it
American Werewolf in London - pure class. I love this film to bits. Can't remember how many words of praise I've written on these boards over the years but it's lots

The Mothman Prophesies - Liked this too. I'm a fan of mystery.
Orphan - good film - creepy kids are always good fun

The Woman in Black - thought it worked quite well, but I don't think Radcliffe had the gravitas to fill the character
Not seen Quarantine, but it seems pointless watching it if it's a straight remake of [Rec] which I liked
Final Destination - I've seen some of them but couldn't tell you which ones. Enjoyable tho.
Dawn of the Dead remake - good film, zombie films are great

looking forward to the next lot

MovieGal

Registered User

05-09-15

Great films with Dawn of the Dead and Crazies.....

MovieMeditation

Friendo.

05-09-15

I don't know how missed that you replied to this thread, christine and MG, as I usually keep track of it following an update. I'm sorry for the late reply, but thank you both for checking in, as well as Daniel M and all who have been following this list! I appreciate it a lot, as always!

What a write-up there, christine, I thought it was Spaulding at first.

glad you liked so many of the picks and that you took your time to comment on it all as well!

I can assure you that the next 3 picks will NOT HAVE ANY kind of guilty pleasures, they're are all widely considered great horror films - one of them is modern, the other two are well known drama horror films, one foreign and one American, one ghost story, one psychological.

That's all I can say for now!

honeykid

MoFo Whisperer

05-09-15

For those in the UK who'd like to see it, The Mothman Prophecies is on BBC1 tomorrow night at 11:30pm.

Camo

Msg

BANNED

05-09-15

Thanks HK I might check that out. Also I've only seen Dawn of the Dead from your last set MM and its great

christine

Dreams is freedom

05-09-15

Originally Posted by MovieMeditation

What a write-up there, christine, I thought it was Spaulding at first.

That's all I can say for now!

Oh nice! I love ghost stories

MovieMeditation

Friendo.

05-09-15

Originally Posted by christine

Oh nice! I love ghost stories

Me too. But that should be quite obvious throughout the revealing of my list. Actually, it is already!

MovieMeditation

Friendo.

05-14-15

~His Top 50 Favorite Horror Films~
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23. Sinister (2012)*
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�Sinister� is the kind horror film that sort of separates itself from the current state of the genre. What I mean by that is, while it certainly still contains your fair share of similarities to previous pictures in the genre � as well as a highly dominating dosage of jump scares � I personally don�t see this as being the source of frustration, per say. Instead I think it is the director�s sense of necessity to lean towards the tired old formulas, when he actually has a whole new formula on his hands here. The atmosphere and approach in this film is far from typical horror material, and despite its flaws, I love how it tries to create this repulsive and unsettling atmosphere, which just gets under your skin in such a nasty way, that a warm shower and possible future therapy appointments is to be strongly considered afterwards. It basically feels like the raw negative of a horror movie cut into pieces, dropped to the ground, dragged through the mud, and then shoved directly into the filthiest and most sinister-sounding �Super 8mm� projector you could ever come to think of�

But really though, what I love about this film is not just how potentially petrified you can end up becoming, but also, that the talent in front and behind camera is really clear and focused from the start. While my above description of the film may make it come across as the most terrifying movie ever made, that isn�t exactly the main focal point. Even though I do believe, that this film is pretty scary and generally really disturbing to watch, I think it is the production value and overall skill that went into making this film, which is what raises it above the rest. I truly respect the film for its use of practical effects and make-up; I adore the utterly unnerving home video snuff films; and I definitely enjoy watching Ethan Hawke going absolutely mad because of all that is happening around him. But I really wish that the film had believed in what it ultimately brought to the table, rather than cluttering it all up in a mess, which you are becoming tired of digging through in every other horror film. I think �Sinister� works the best, when relying on pure tension and creepy celluloid clips of various degrees of disturbing imagery. But despite its faults, I definitely see the better parts outweighing the worse ones in most scenarios, fortunately.
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Why is it on my list?
Now, despite I genuinely think this is a great modern horror film because of its eerie atmosphere and intense story; I have to also state that I watched this one in a movie theatre. Obviously, this element lifts the overall experience of the film, I can�t deny that, but still this element wasn�t at all what eventually granted me with what could be considered the ultimate horror hell ride. Within a runtime of around 110 minutes I witnessed: one audience member having a panic-attack; one audience member who had to run out of the theatre because of being totally and utterly horrified; and lastly, my friend, who I came to learn was a �horror virgin�, had a hard time keeping his eyes open during most of the runtime... So I guess this film must be doing something right or what?

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22. The Devil's Backbone (2001)
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After the sinister description of a horror film truly following its roots, while also breaking a few branches on the way, we have here an entirely different force of horror. The story builds around a traditional ghost story, but the true horror lies in the socially broken and deserted atmosphere of post-war Spain. This film paints a very piercing picture of all the open wounds that a war leaves you with, and what it can do to your heart, soul and deepest emotions. The story focuses on what seems to be a haunted home for orphaned children, in which the elements of war are a prominent part of it all. It may not always be openly present in the film, but what drives the overall story � even the supernatural and ghostly aspects � is a carefully constructed foundation, built upon heavy thematic authenticity and clever political allegories, which is all beautifully handled, cinematically, and ultimately very though provoking to witness�

Even for all the questionable crap made by director Guillermo del Toro, he ultimately seems to be the only one able to pull off such an ambitious blend of reality and fantasy, which also succeeds in being full of historical relevancy that is both beautiful and absolutely terrifying to look at. Not only does the horror feel more close to heart because of this, but it also presents us with a shockingly clear picture of the Spanish Civil War and the emotionally destructive impact that it had on people. Del Toro uses some very clever scriptural and visual storytelling throughout to tell his story � in particular the exceptional use of supernatural elements and the innocence of children, which eventually enforces the gritty reality of war and political conflicts, in a truly admirable way. It really is a hard film to describe, because honestly, despite of having a minimal setting and an externally simplistic story, it goes in so many different directions underneath that it can be hard to notice them all. This is a fantastic piece of provocative and potent filmmaking; there is no doubt about it.
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Why is it on my list?
With obvious flair for blending the factual authentic with the fictional attractive, Del Toro has created something entirely rare and unique for the genre, constantly switching between shadow and light to tell his story from diverse angles and new perspectives. The film has a great focus on children, and their part and word in all this; all the while you can clearly feel all the surrounding horrors of which they cannot understand, yet you get to witness their perception of it and their ultimate understanding of war in its purest sense. I love how you get a chance to disappear into this haunting story, and even when the spiritual forces are at their most dominant level, you never forget the underlying layer of other thematic aspects. And with an unexploded atomic bomb firmly placed inside the orphanage, you are constantly reminded of the horrors that once happened. You feel a constant sense of dread, with its uncanny presence in the story � how you see it lurking in the background, knowing what it is capable of and what it represents�

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21. Jacob's Ladder (1990)
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Because of how truthful and loyal I obviously am, here is the long awaited write-up of this personal favorite, which I just recently revisited and thus no longer feel trapped in a straitjacket when trying to type out my thoughts on the film. And I might have to point out that this coming paragraph will contain some spoilers, so beware if you want to read any further. Unlike a few of my recent rewatches of horror favorites, this one held up even better than I could have hoped for, and I was surprised at how much of it suddenly came back to me once I began to watch it. Particularly all the haunting hallucinations and sinister scenery stood razor sharp from the start and ultimately reminded me exactly why this deserves a spot on my this horror list�

This movie might actually be the greatest current cinematic attempt at visualizing the look and feel of actual nightmares and fearful paranoia. The way our main character seem to disappear in and out of different states of the approaching afterlife is rather impressive, especially since it is edited expertly together with his struggle to stay alive after being seriously wounded in Vietnam. As an audience we get to experience the life before the after, so to speak, and travel through the mind of a man trapped in some kind of loony limbo. A petrifying passageway that revives the past and reimagines the future, while gliding seamlessly in and out of loving memories, deep sorrows and nightmarish creations. If this disturbing mess is really part of my spiritual passing to the hereafter, I don�t think I would even survive the intermediate journey to my final demise. I would most likely die in my death � just imagine how paradoxical that actually is?
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Why is it on my list?
Try to imagine how it would be to live out your worst nightmares, all the while being tricked and teased by absentminded images of your past, present and non-existing future� That is exactly how the main character in this film lives � or rather dies � and it is visualized in an absolutely terrifying manner. Tim Robbins does a great job as the paranoid war veteran who is slowly going insane, and his portrayal of every layer in this unworldly voyage is delivered with some serious acting expertise.

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Last edited by MovieMeditation; 05-31-15 at 12:12 PM.

Swan

CIA Spook

05-14-15

I am a huge fan of The Devil's Backbone and Jacob's Ladder. Two great films.

Cole416

I have to return some videotapes.

05-14-15

Sinister is so great. Ethan Hawke is awesome in it. Great list so far!

False Writer

NJPW: King of Sports

05-14-15

Jacob's Ladder is awesome! Sinister is great too, haven't seen Devil's Backbone but want to, I've seen Chronos from Guillermo Del Toro and wasn't really a fan of that, but Devil's Backbone seems good.

Edit: Can't help but feel a little disappointed with your description of Jacob's Ladder, as that was the one I wanted to read your thoughts on the most. Still cool that you have it pretty high though.

MovieGal