# Horror Movie Recommendations? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 9, 2008, 8:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/horror-movie-recommendations/476371 "2008-12-09T08:44:48Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![valleyofthedolls](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/a4c791/32.png) [@valleyofthedolls](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/valleyofthedolls)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2008, 8:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/horror-movie-recommendations/476371/1 "2008-12-09T08:44:48Z")
Anyone have any good suggestions? I love a lot of older Italian and Spanish horror movies and movies from the 70’s and early 80’s. I don’t like Hostel-type movies, gore and torture stuff in a place of a plot aren’t appealing at all. Otherwise anything else goes, slasher, ghost, giallo etc. ---
**Author:** ![TommyTutone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c4cdca/32.png) [@TommyTutone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TommyTutone)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2008, 12:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/horror-movie-recommendations/476371/2 "2008-12-09T12:52:38Z")
Without a list of what you’ve already seen, I’m reluctant to go over the classics that I’m sure will either be mentioned a dozen times, or you’ve seen a dozen times. However, if you haven’t seen it, try **The Orphanage** , a Spanish horror film, a great one, about a woman who is adopted, returns to reopen the orphanage she came from. It’s not just a fantastic horror movie, it’s a fantastic movie in every sense of the word. Also, not nearly as good as the above, maybe set a goal to catch all of the movies featured in the past two Horrorfest film marathons: [http://www.horrorfestonline.com/](http://www.horrorfestonline.com/) I’ve not seen them all, but **Gravedancers** is a fun, scary film. **The Abandoned** and **Wicked Little Things** are also worth a watch. **Penny Dreadful** not so much, and **Dark Ride** is not great, but is a nice homage to early 80s slashers. **Reincarnation** is good Japanese horror if you are into that kind of thing, but not particularly noteworthy (unlike the outstanding **Ring, The Eye, and Ju-on** ). ---
**Author:** ![Kalhoun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3bc359/32.png) [@Kalhoun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kalhoun)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2008, 1:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/horror-movie-recommendations/476371/3 "2008-12-09T13:06:26Z")
I can’t help you with your favorite genre, but nothin’ says “creepy” like **The Shining**. I love this movie. It’s beautiful to look at and has a deep and ominous vibe that never lets up. ---
**Author:** ![ivan\_astikov](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/58f4c7/32.png) [@ivan\_astikov](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivan_astikov)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2008, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/horror-movie-recommendations/476371/4 "2008-12-09T15:50:26Z")
I know it’s a matter of taste, albeit bad, but you can’t go far wrong with **House Of A 1,000 Corpses** and **The Devil’s Rejects**. ---
**Author:** ![randwill](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/a3d4f5/32.png) [@randwill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/randwill)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2008, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/horror-movie-recommendations/476371/5 "2008-12-09T15:55:48Z")
**Let the Right One In** is the best movie I’ve seen this year. It’s a Swedish vampire film that is in limited theatrical release in the U.S. currently, but debuts on DVD in March 2009. It’s not too early to put this little masterpiece in your Netflix queue. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Fight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/90ced4/32.png) [@Cat\_Fight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Fight)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2008, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/horror-movie-recommendations/476371/6 "2008-12-09T16:11:29Z")
> [@randwill](#): > > **Let the Right One In** is the best movie I’ve seen this year. It’s a Swedish vampire film that is in limited theatrical release in the U.S. currently, but debuts on DVD in March 2009. It’s not too early to put this little masterpiece in your Netflix queue. Same here, and I normally don’t like vampire movies (except maybe The Lost Boys). I was also thoroughly terrified by spelunking horror **The Descent**. ---
**Author:** ![Hero\_From\_Sector\_7G](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/65b543/32.png) [@Hero\_From\_Sector\_7G](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hero_From_Sector_7G)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2008, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/horror-movie-recommendations/476371/7 "2008-12-09T16:21:51Z")
**Shallow Grave** - Creepy, no gore, good acting. I’m with the OP, I hate gore too. It doesn’t “scare” me, instead I’m just grossed out. It is pretty darn rare to find a movie that is actually scarry. I also enjoyed **With Friends Like Harry** [IMDB link](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0216800/) ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2008, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/horror-movie-recommendations/476371/8 "2008-12-09T16:54:39Z")
I recommend a **book** – Stephen King’s [_Danse Macabre,_](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Danse_Macabre_(book)) which includes a sort of critical survey of the horror-film genre and introduced me to a lot of flicks I’d never heard of. Including some which are frightening even though there is no actual violence, or what there is happens off-camera. ---
**Author:** ![FriarTed](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/friarted/32/1052_2.png) [@FriarTed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FriarTed)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2008, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/horror-movie-recommendations/476371/9 "2008-12-09T17:14:08Z")
B&W low budget classics: 1962? Carnival of Souls 1964? Black Sunday aka Mask of the Demon aka Mask of Satan Hammer Films: Curse of Frankenstein (Cushing & Lee for the first time) Horror of Dracula (Cushing & Lee again) Brides of Dracula (Cushing, no Lee) Curse of the Werewolf (Oliver Reed) Phantom of the Opera (Herbert Lom) Kiss of Evil aka Kiss of the Vampire ~ anything with Dracula or Frankenstein or Lee or Cushing Vincent Price: House of Usher Masque of the Red Death Pit and the Pendulum The Abominable Dr. Phibes Dr. Phibes Rises Again Theatre of Blood The original 1972? Chris Lee-Edward Woodward “The Wicker Man” ---
**Author:** ![HeyHomie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heyhomie/32/207_2.png) [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2008, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/horror-movie-recommendations/476371/10 "2008-12-09T20:08:14Z")
_Alien The Exorcist The Others_ ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2008, 11:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/horror-movie-recommendations/476371/11 "2008-12-09T23:32:52Z")
_Near Dark_ is an excellent overlooked vampire movie. ---
**Author:** ![Caveat\_lector\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ea5d25/32.png) [@Caveat\_lector\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Caveat_lector_1)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2008, 11:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/horror-movie-recommendations/476371/12 "2008-12-09T23:45:13Z")
_The Thing_ if you haven’t seen it yet. ---
**Author:** ![Don\_t\_fight\_the\_hypothetical](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/59ef9b/32.png) [@Don\_t\_fight\_the\_hypothetical](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Don_t_fight_the_hypothetical)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2008, 11:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/horror-movie-recommendations/476371/13 "2008-12-09T23:49:07Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > _Near Dark_ is an excellent overlooked vampire movie. Came here to say just this. Bill Paxton is excellent! ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Excellent](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f19dbf/32.png) [@Mr.Excellent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Excellent)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2008, 11:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/horror-movie-recommendations/476371/14 "2008-12-09T23:53:20Z")
Angel Heart. Mickey Roark is a PI, searching for a disappeared WWII veteran and Sinatra-type singer in 1950s New Orleans. Oddly, everyone he meets keeps getting murdered in some horrific way. Very, very disturbing film. Dagon - If you like H.P. Lovecraft, you’ll love it. If you’ve never read Lovecraft, you’ll want to after seeing this. American software entrepeneur and his girlfriend are shipwrecked in an isolated Spanish coastal town whose resident worship the fish-god Dagon, and are themselves turning into fish-zombies. Good stuff … In the Mouth of Madness - another Lovecraft-inspired story. A horror novelist’s stories are driving his fans to violent madness … ---
**Author:** ![Dante](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dante/32/9673_2.png) [@Dante](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dante)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2008, 1:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/horror-movie-recommendations/476371/15 "2008-12-10T01:15:56Z")
> [@Cat\_Fight](#): > > I was also thoroughly terrified by spelunking horror **The Descent**. Fantastic movie. The reveal made me jump out of my chair, and I very rarely jump. Another good one is the Spanish film [[rec]](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1038988/) which was re-made into [Quarantine](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1082868/) in the US. ---
**Author:** ![Caveat\_lector\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ea5d25/32.png) [@Caveat\_lector\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Caveat_lector_1)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2008, 1:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/horror-movie-recommendations/476371/16 "2008-12-10T01:57:47Z")
I also forgot to mention_The Host_. It is a good Korean creature flick though the name makes little sense to me. Translation I guess. ---
**Author:** ![Diane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/2acd7d/32.png) [@Diane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diane)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2008, 2:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/horror-movie-recommendations/476371/17 "2008-12-10T02:52:54Z")
I always thought The Exorcist was kind of laughable, but The Exorcist III? Good hell, that movie is creepy! Another one I watched recently (and rather enjoyed) was Gothika with Halle Berry. Spooky! ---
**Author:** ![j666](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9de0a6/32.png) [@j666](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/j666)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2008, 2:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/horror-movie-recommendations/476371/18 "2008-12-10T02:57:17Z")
The original _The Haunting._ ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Borgia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/larry_borgia/32/156_2.png) [@Larry\_Borgia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Borgia)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2008, 6:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/horror-movie-recommendations/476371/19 "2008-12-10T06:09:03Z")
2nd recs for _The Descent_ and _Near Dark_. I’ll add a rec for _Silent Hill_, best game to movie adaptation I’ve seen. ETA: _Ginger Snaps_ and it’s first sequel. Awesome gory flicks and recc’ed for Buffy fans. ---
**Author:** ![kitemaker\_chuck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/a88e4f/32.png) [@kitemaker\_chuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kitemaker_chuck)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2008, 7:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/horror-movie-recommendations/476371/20 "2008-12-10T07:12:35Z")
I’ve always kinda’ liked **The Night Walker** , which was a William Castle movie and which starred: Barbara Stanwyck, Robert Taylor and Lloyd Bochner. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/horror-movie-recommendations/476371.md?page=2)