# 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:** 2
**Author:** ![Airman\_Doors\_USAF](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e36b37/32.png) [@Airman\_Doors\_USAF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Airman_Doors_USAF)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2008, 7:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/horror-movie-recommendations/476371/21 "2008-12-10T07:17:21Z")
The original _Texas Chainsaw Massacre_ is never a bad pick. ---
**Author:** ![joyfool](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/df788c/32.png) [@joyfool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/joyfool)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2008, 7:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/horror-movie-recommendations/476371/22 "2008-12-10T07:24:57Z")
Whee! 70s movies are my forte, but horror in general. So let me recommend some really good (hopefully you’ll think so) atmospheric ones that you might not have seen… [ul] [li]The original [Black Christmas](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0071222/) is pretty creepy, with one of the coolest early “freeze frame” who dunnit shots there is.[/li][li]Not sure if you’d think this was too violent, but [Last House on the Left](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0068833/) is what **Saw** and **Hostel** wish they could’ve been if a real plot were used. The infamous scene (you’ll know it when you see it) is truly chilling.[/li][li][Burnt Offerings](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0074258/)had a twist back in the day that was pretty unexpected and a very delightful Oliver Reed.[/li][li]I liked the idea behind [Communion / Alice, Sweet Alice)](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0076150/), but the execution lacks a bit to be desired. Might be interesting enough to you to check out.[/li][li]There’s so many good things about [The Mephisto Waltz](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0067419/), there too numerous too mention. My only drawback was the cheesy ending, but I can forgive any movie that used that Shatner _mask on a dog_… long before **Halloween**. [/li][li]The giallo [Don’t Torture a Duckling](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0069019/). If you can handle strong horror themes involving children then this is a true gem.[/li][li]Same thing can be said for [Who Can Kill a Child? / Island of the Damned](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0075462/). As a teenager, I was freaked out by **Children of the Corn**. I had no freakin’ idea man. :)[/li][li]Love, love, love [Tourist Trap](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0080040/)! Now you gotta get past Chuck Connors in the dual role, but the rest is a blueprint on the slasher genre that was then exploding.[/li][li]Not quite that scary, but a terrific take on the old Hansel and Gretal fairy tale is [Whoever Slew Auntie Roo?](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0067983/). This movie would be perfect for a remake, if only they could find someone fitting to do it justice. I dunno, like [/li][li]For a WTF moment or more, try [The Other](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0069050/). Uta Hagen was delicious and there are no kids weirder than those from this particular decade. \< shudder \>[/li][li]And I’ve got to own [The Little Girl that Lived Down the Lane](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0074806/). Almost all (Sheen was too campy, but at least he was pretty hot) were Oscar-caliber performances and if this movie doesn’t make you sad and horrified at this same time, I have not done my job. [/li][/ul] If I haven’t scared you off (hehe) and you’d like me to list more, just say the word and I’ll hit you up with my Honorable Mention group. Enjoy. Bwahahahaha! ---
**Author:** ![valleyofthedolls](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/a4c791/32.png) [@valleyofthedolls](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/valleyofthedolls)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2008, 8:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/horror-movie-recommendations/476371/23 "2008-12-10T08:53:04Z")
Hey all, thanks for the great suggestions. I’ve seen most of these but some not in a while so they go to the netflix queue and the Hammer films I haven’t seen so they go as well. Faithfool, I love every one of the ones you’ve mentioned so I’d really like to see your honorable mention list. If anyone’s looking for a decent horror movie, I’ve been watching these: > **[Amazon.com: Ghost House Underground (Eight Film Collection) : Jared Kusnitz,...](https://www.amazon.com/Ghost-House-Underground-Eight-Collection/dp/B001ECDVGI)** > > Product description Genre: HorrorRating: UNRelease Date: 14-OCT-2008Media Type: DVD Amazon.com Sam Raimi and Rob Tapert, the creative forces behind 30 Days of Night and the Spiderman, The Grudge and Evil Dead franchises,... Definitely more bad than good but one called the Substitute is a terrific horror/comedy. Also, this: > **[Amazon.com: 6 Films To Keep You Awake : Goya Toledo, Nerea Inchausti, Josep...](https://www.amazon.com/6-Films-Keep-You-Awake/dp/B001AIQ154)** > > This four-disc set of films from Spain includes Baby's Room, a Christmas Tale and a Real Friend. Bonuses: featurettes. I loved these but especially To Let and A Christmas Tale. Also saw Last Winter which was awesome and Transsiberian which was not so much. ---
**Author:** ![Black\_Sunshine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ce73a5/32.png) [@Black\_Sunshine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Black_Sunshine)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2008, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/horror-movie-recommendations/476371/24 "2008-12-10T17:38:05Z")
> [@Dante](#): > > 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. This is exactly what I came here to say. I haven’t seen Quarantine, but [REC] scared the bejeezus out of me. If you try at the right time, you can find it in parts on youtube. ---
**Author:** ![joyfool](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/df788c/32.png) [@joyfool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/joyfool)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2008, 5:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/horror-movie-recommendations/476371/25 "2008-12-11T05:46:59Z")
Wow, **valleyofthedolls** , you truly are a connoisseur! I’ll have to work harder on that list now. Here’s some more for your consideration, although I’m pretty sure you haven’t missed many that I’ll mention. Probably just weirder stuff anyway… The Flesh and Blood Show – actors getting their comeuppance. Pretty fashions. J.D.'s Revenge – the first 'hood scary movie long before Snoop got in on the action. Audrey Rose – eh, it’s not Magic, but there’s still Anthony Hopkins. The Forgotten – for someone dealing with mental health issues, this is kind of prescient. Squirm – just fun. A Bucket of Blood and The Collector – neither are 70s, but the former is quite a trip and the latter is chilling! Flesh for Frankenstein – more funny than anything else, it’s worth it to see Paul Morrissey’s take on horror. Heh. Oh, and have you ever seen any of those made-for-TV movies back in the day? Some of them were genuinely creepy, like Bad Ronald. Yum. Further, I have To Let and A Christmas Tale waiting to watch from Netflix. Plus, a friend highly recommends Quarantine (he says it’s even better than [Rec]!), so I can’t wait to see that either. Perhaps we should swap lists sometime. I even actually have one or three that I’ll give high praise to that were not before 1979! ---
**Author:** ![tirial](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ac91a4/32.png) [@tirial](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tirial)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2008, 9:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/horror-movie-recommendations/476371/26 "2008-12-11T09:48:57Z")
Just to second **FriarTed** ’s list, and suggest Hammer might be the way to go if you want creepy rather than out and out gore. ---
**Author:** ![Kamino\_Neko](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kamino_neko/32/34_2.png) [@Kamino\_Neko](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kamino_Neko)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2008, 10:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/horror-movie-recommendations/476371/27 "2008-12-11T10:07:57Z")
> [@Larry\_Borgia](#): > > ETA: _Ginger Snaps_ and it’s first sequel. Awesome gory flicks and recc’ed for Buffy fans. I personally preferred Snaps Back to Unleashed - the latter is mostly annoying for the first half…it’s not until Ghost’s plans are revealed that it actually gets creepy. ---
**Author:** ![Cuckoorex](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ad7895/32.png) [@Cuckoorex](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cuckoorex)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2008, 10:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/horror-movie-recommendations/476371/28 "2008-12-11T10:49:16Z")
> [@Black\_Sunshine](#): > > This is exactly what I came here to say. I haven’t seen Quarantine, but [REC] scared the bejeezus out of me. If you try at the right time, you can find it in parts on youtube. FWIW, I’ve seen both [REC] and Quarantine (actually saw Quarantine first, if that makes any difference) and [REC] is by far superior, IMO. If you don’t mind subtitles (or know Spanish) then go with [REC] and skip Quarantine altogether. This pains me to say as I really enjoy Jennifer Carpenter’s acting in most everything she’s been in, but there’s no denying that [REC] wins this one. The final 5 or 10 minutes were just plain AWESOME. ---
**Author:** ![Smid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/838e76/32.png) [@Smid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smid)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2008, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/horror-movie-recommendations/476371/29 "2008-12-11T15:01:38Z")
For pure spectacle, I’d say the Final Desination series is good. Various recent years stuff I’ve enjoyed: Dog Soldiers Ringu Oldboy (hmmn, I would rate it as a horror I suppose, some perhaps wouldn’t) 28 Days Later But only one really disturbed me… Wolf Creek. Some compare it to Hostel though, but I don’t… ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2008, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/horror-movie-recommendations/476371/30 "2008-12-11T15:07:40Z")
**Wicker Man**. The original, not the crappy re-make. ---
**Author:** ![divemaster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/divemaster/32/78_2.png) [@divemaster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/divemaster)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2008, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/horror-movie-recommendations/476371/31 "2008-12-11T15:29:15Z")
If you like psychological/gothic horror, try **A Tale of Two Sisters**. The first time I watched it, there were a couple of scenes that were so creepy that I was curled up on the edge of the couch chewing on my knuckles. There are moments of pure spine-tingling terror (so it works as a K-horror), but it is not as “scary” as, say, Ju-On or Ringu. The overall horror of the movie doesn’t derive so much from what you see on the screen, but what you come to realize as certain revelations become known. It is also a beautiful movie-- the cinematography and set design are very well done, and the use of color and music to set the different moods is masterful. For example, a waltz can be romantic and playful. Or it can be melancholy and sad. The colors green and yellow can be bright and springtime. Or they can be diseased and rot. Director Ji-woon Kim uses such dichotomies to extreme effect. Great movie. Rewatchability factor: HIGH ---
**Author:** ![ouryL](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ouryl/32/6067_2.png) [@ouryL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ouryL)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2008, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/horror-movie-recommendations/476371/32 "2008-12-11T20:51:50Z")
> [@valleyofthedolls](#): > > 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. My favorite Italian horror movie was “Terror-Creatures from the Grave”. Unfortunately, only a poorly dubbed black and white can be found on Alpha video. I saw it originally in 1966 and it had a terrific sound track that I still remember: _Remember the water, the water can save you. Remember the water, so fresh and so pure…_ ---
**Author:** ![5-HT](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/5/f19dbf/32.png) [@5-HT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/5-HT)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2008, 9:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/horror-movie-recommendations/476371/33 "2008-12-11T21:26:06Z")
_Wicked Little Things_ is a lesser known one that I thought was pretty good. The creepy kids thing is a bit played out though(even if the ones in _Wicked_ are way more violent), for a post apocalyptic story go with _Tooth and Nail_. I also really recommend anything from the Masters of Horror series, they’re a bit shorter than full length but very well done. ---
**Author:** ![Love\_Rhombus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/love_rhombus/32/10694_2.png) [@Love\_Rhombus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Love_Rhombus)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2008, 12:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/horror-movie-recommendations/476371/34 "2008-12-12T00:16:38Z")
The original My Bloody Valentine, if for no other reason than because a 3-D remake is coming up soon! :rolleyes: But Jensen Ackles is gonna be in it, so I must support Supernatural and see it. Severance is pretty good. So’s Outpost. It has Ray Stevenson in it, so it’s up to you if that’s a plus or minus. ---
**Author:** ![vintageloveletter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/8e8cbc/32.png) [@vintageloveletter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vintageloveletter)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2008, 12:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/horror-movie-recommendations/476371/35 "2008-12-12T00:38:50Z")
I also recommend **The Orphanage**. And if you like The Orphanage, you’ll like **El Espinazo del Diablo** (The Devil’s Backbone). And although I wouldn’t classify it as horror, you should check out **Pan’s Labyrinth** if you haven’t already seen it. ---
**Author:** ![Skylark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e274bd/32.png) [@Skylark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skylark)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2008, 5:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/horror-movie-recommendations/476371/36 "2008-12-12T05:48:24Z")
I was going to suggest _Suspiria_, but you mention you already have Italian flics from 70s/80s, and therefore are probably well familiar with that one. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2008, 6:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/horror-movie-recommendations/476371/37 "2008-12-12T06:00:56Z")
I’m not a horror-film fan generally, but there are a few which have really grabbed me. I’ll second the earlier nomination for _Angel Heart_, which is a great period piece and very creepy. Mickey Rourke and Robert DeNiro are both excellent in it; the knotty plot really pays off. I really enjoyed _Se7en_, which I know isn’t everyone’s cup of tea. Morgan Freeman, Brad Pitt, Gwyneth Paltrow and a “special guest star” as the villain, as well as an increasingly-tense atmosphere and a true shocker of an ending - what’s not to love? The low-budget but brilliantly twisted alien-invasion masterpiece _The Hidden_ is a cheesy delight. Violent, funny, gritty - just a pleasure to behold. Your eyes might just pop out of your head when the alien is first revealed. Michael Nouri and Kyle MacLachlan are unlikely police buddies, heading a great cast of people you’ll just barely recognize. Check it out, please! ---
**Author:** ![Black\_Sunshine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ce73a5/32.png) [@Black\_Sunshine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Black_Sunshine)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2008, 3:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/horror-movie-recommendations/476371/38 "2008-12-12T15:21:32Z")
_The Orphanage_ blew me away. Totally not what I was expecting, but it’s fabulous. Also, check out _Don’t Look Now_. I didn’t find it as outright scary as many people have, but it’s really compelling. The sex scene in it was recently (somewhere) rated as the hottest sex scene in a movie. It was, uh . . . memorable. ---
**Author:** ![Enright3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/enright3/32/2897_2.png) [@Enright3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enright3)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2008, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/horror-movie-recommendations/476371/39 "2008-12-12T21:05:21Z")
I love the movie The Frighteners with Michael J Fox. It’s a fun horror flick / comedy. If you’re a hard core horror fan (which you probably are) then you won’t really enjoy it much. I surprisingly enjoyed the one that came out a year or so ago with John Cusack as a writer who debunks haunted locations and stays a night in a haunted hotel room. ---
**Author:** ![Typo\_Negative](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/typo_negative/32/484_2.png) [@Typo\_Negative](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Typo_Negative)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2008, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/horror-movie-recommendations/476371/40 "2008-12-12T21:09:28Z")
> [@Mr.Excellent](#): > > In the Mouth of Madness - another Lovecraft-inspired story. A horror novelist’s stories are driving his fans to violent madness … I LOVED this one! Madness. _MADNESS!!!_ [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/horror-movie-recommendations/476371.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/horror-movie-recommendations/476371.md?page=3)