# Horror Movie Suggestions **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 13, 2005, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/horror-movie-suggestions/326114 "2005-10-13T20:02:21Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![dalej42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@dalej42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dalej42)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2005, 2:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/horror-movie-suggestions/326114/21 "2005-10-14T02:38:24Z")
[Here](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=278942&highlight=October) is my thread about horror movies from last year. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2005, 11:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/horror-movie-suggestions/326114/22 "2005-10-14T11:58:01Z")
a lot of my favorites have been mentioned already. One thing I did was to get every version of a story together and watch them on a single night to compare them. Here are the best versions (or at least the most interesting) of classic horror stories: **Victor Frankenstein** AKA **Terror of Frankenstein** – sounds like a Hammer film, but it’s an independently made version of the story that’s surprisingly faithful to the book, made years before the big-budget Kennet Branaugh version. > **[Terror of Frankenstein (1977) - IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0076881/)** > > Terror of Frankenstein: Directed by Calvin Floyd. With Leon Vitali, Per Oscarsson, Nicholas Clay, Stacy Dorning. Victor Frankenstein's search for the secret of life leads to the creation of a monster that consumes his life and family. **Count Dracula** – Directed by Jess (Jesus) Franco, which is enough to put most people off it. Stars Christopher Lee as the Count, which would, again, make you think it’s a Hammer film, but it’s not. And, admittedly, the ending is pretty bad (as is a scene where everyone acts afraid of a roomful of animals that are obviously stuffed and nonthreatening), but the beginning of this simply blew me away. It’s the most faithful to Stoker’s book of any version at the start, by far. Lee plays Dracula straight, and lopoks like the original illustrations, right down to the white moustache. > **[Count Dracula (1970) - IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0065569/)** > > Count Dracula: Directed by Jesús Franco. With Christopher Lee, Herbert Lom, Klaus Kinski, Maria Rohm. Count Dracula, a gray-haired vampire who regains his youth by dining on the blood of maidens, is pursued in London and Transylvania by Professor Van... **Dr. Jeckyll and Mister Hyde** – there are plenty of versions of this story, but Rouben Mamoulian’s version, starring an oddly-cast Fredric March (he used to do light comedies before this) is dazzling. If you think Alfrede Hitchcock invented exotic camera moves and camera tricks, watch this film. The opening section, all shot from Dr. Jeckyll’s point of view in a long, unbroken, moving shot (including lookking straight \*into[./i] a mirror) is impressive as heck. Hyde drops out of a shot to assault a woman, and reveals a statue of Cupid and Psyche behind him. A policeman shoots at someone, and moves aside to reveal a mounted human skeleton behind him. Cute touches like these keep the story moving the way Stevenson’s prose did. Too film versions of this story have bogged down in their own pretentiousness, but not this one. > **[Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (1931) - IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0022835/)** > > Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde: Directed by Rouben Mamoulian. With Fredric March, Miriam Hopkins, Rose Hobart, Holmes Herbert. Dr. Jekyll faces horrible consequences when he lets his dark side run wild with a potion that transforms him into the animalistic... ---
**Author:** ![Edward\_The\_Head](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ce73a5/32.png) [@Edward\_The\_Head](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Edward_The_Head)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2005, 12:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/horror-movie-suggestions/326114/23 "2005-10-14T12:30:43Z")
> [@Eutychus](#): > > [May](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0303361/). > > Trust me. Seconded, I saw this movie a couple of years ago based on a suggestion here and loved it. I should rent it again this year to show Iris. There was also a British horror movie called Dog Soldiers that I thought was pretty good as well. ---
**Author:** ![yojimbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yojimbo/32/232_2.png) [@yojimbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yojimbo)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2005, 1:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/horror-movie-suggestions/326114/24 "2005-10-14T13:20:27Z")
I watched [Wolf Creek](http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/wolf_creek/) the other night. It was very good indeed. It’s a typical story. Young people go on a long drive, meet a stranger on the road. It goes downhill for them from that moment on. It’s an Australian movie and is quite hard hitting. The camera lingers on things quite a bit which adds to the power of the movie. A uncompromising shocker not the easily disturbed but for the sickos out there who like their movies realistic and shocking you can’t find much better. ---
**Author:** ![Rocketeer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rocketeer/32/4437_2.png) [@Rocketeer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rocketeer)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2005, 1:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/horror-movie-suggestions/326114/25 "2005-10-14T13:28:02Z")
I have to second **Tremors** , which has marvellous acting by Kevin Bacon and Fred Ward, and **Dog Soldiers** , which has a nice offbeat vibe due to its being set in Scotland (despite the ending being visible a mile off). **Tremors 2** is also fun; but it’s only half as fun as **Tremors** , because Kevin Bacon isn’t in it. **The Bride of Frankenstein** is a classic and everyone should see it. I also enjoyed the 1933 **Invisible Man** (Claude Rains), which had the same quirky sense of humor as **Bride** –hardly surprising since the same man directed both. ---
**Author:** ![Maia\_s\_Well](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/3bc359/32.png) [@Maia\_s\_Well](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maia_s_Well)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2005, 1:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/horror-movie-suggestions/326114/26 "2005-10-14T13:48:41Z")
I loved **Mister Frost** with Jeff Goldblum. More of a psychological horror story with is-it-or-isn’t-it-supernatural overtones. Subtle, but some very creepy images, and Goldblum is both hot and disturbing as a cool and charming serial killer who might be more than he appears. It looks like it’s only available on VHS, sadly, so might be difficult to find. ---
**Author:** ![Caissa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8c91f0/32.png) [@Caissa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Caissa)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2005, 1:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/horror-movie-suggestions/326114/27 "2005-10-14T13:53:52Z")
Wow, thanks for all the wonderful suggestions! Hmm, what to pick… I think I’m going to start with **May** (a movie which I’ve never heard of, but looks deliciously creepy) and **Dead Alive** (a movie which I’ve been dying to see for quite some time). ::skips off to Blockbuster:: ---
**Author:** ![Lazlo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lazlo/32/9678_2.png) [@Lazlo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lazlo)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2005, 1:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/horror-movie-suggestions/326114/28 "2005-10-14T13:58:12Z")
> [@Edward The Head](#): > > There was also a British horror movie called Dog Soldiers that I thought was pretty good as well. Bah, beat me to it. Fun movie. ---
**Author:** ![Clothahump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/51bf81/32.png) [@Clothahump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Clothahump)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2005, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/horror-movie-suggestions/326114/29 "2005-10-14T15:49:38Z")
[The Other](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0069050/combined) [The Changeling](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0080516/combined) And for a change of pace, [The House on Haunted Hill](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0051744/combined) . This is the only movie that scared me so badly as a kid that I had bad dreams about it. Twenty years later, I saw it again and was looking forward to being scared again. It’s a comedy, and a cheesy one at that. ---
**Author:** ![pace](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c2a13f/32.png) [@pace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pace)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2005, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/horror-movie-suggestions/326114/30 "2005-10-14T16:05:29Z")
I thought, for a current day horror flick, The Grudge was scarey and disturbing… then i watched it with a girlfriend and she yawwned through most of it and when she wasn’t doing that, she’d play catch with her cat :rolleyes: DITTO vote for The Shining… get chills just thinking 'bout it! ciao! ---
**Author:** ![cbawlmer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/71e660/32.png) [@cbawlmer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cbawlmer)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2005, 4:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/horror-movie-suggestions/326114/31 "2005-10-14T16:26:58Z")
> [@Plynck](#): > > I read a list of classic horror films once, and copied them down. Looking through them, I can see that I’ve never seen one of them. :o I wonder why I bothered… > > Here they are: > > **-Carnival of Souls** > \*\*-Near Dark \*\* (also recommended above by **Auntie Pam** ) > **-Stepfather > -Black Christmas > -White of the Eye > -Company of Wolves > -Seance on a Wet Afternoon > -Peeping Tom** > > I can’t speak for whether they are good or not, but I seem to recall that the writer had an appreciation for this sort of movie. Of this list, I’ve seen: _Carnival of Souls_ – a little goofy and definitely low-budget, but it definitely has atmosphere, and a unique setting. I have a version with optional commentary from Mike Nelson of _Mystery Science Theater 3000_, which is fun. _Near Dark_ – I like this one a lot. _Black Christmas_ – made in Canada in 1974, this movie is a prototype for Halloween, which was released four years later. It stars Olivia Hussey and features John Saxon, Keir Dullea from _2001_, Andrea Martin from \*SCTV \* and Margot Kidder as her drunken sorority sister. Its director is Bob Clark, who later had huge success with \*Porky’s \* and less success with _Baby Geniuses_. :eek: I’m a big fan of this movie. One of my favorite little things in it is a look at how calls used to be physically traced in the days before instant Caller ID. By the way, if you want an evening of Christmas-themed horror movies, watch this one first and then see _Silent Night, Deadly Night_. It is fully demented and hilarious, with an entirely different and more raucous tone. _Black Christmas_ was also released under the title _Silent Night, Evil Night_, so you can mildly impress your friends with that bit of trivia. _Peeping Tom_ – I cannot recommend this movie highly enough. Beautifully shot, well directed and acted, it was extremely controversial in its day and virtually killed the careers of the director (Michael Powell) and star (Carl Boehm). It’s not all that shocking today, but it’s still very involving. A good psychological thriller. I’m going to also recommend _Psycho II_, which is newly released on DVD and is a HOOT. I was shocked at how much I dug this movie. If you remotely recall the plot of _Psycho_ you’re all set. Anthony Perkins’ performance is delightful and sympathetic; he’s obviously having a lot of fun. ---
**Author:** ![DocCathode](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doccathode/32/18773_2.png) [@DocCathode](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DocCathode)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2005, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/horror-movie-suggestions/326114/32 "2005-10-14T16:44:14Z")
**Nightbreed** One of my favorite films. IMHO not so much a hoirror movie as a fable for adults. What if the magical land you always wanted to escape to as a child turned out to real? But, instead of fairies and unicorns, it was inhabited by monsters of every possible description? David Cronenberg (director of Rabid, The Brood, Videodrome, Dead Ringers) plays Dr Decker. “To be smoke or a wolf, to know the night and live in it forever- that’s not so bad is it? . . . You hate us. But when you dream, you dream of flying and changing and living without death.” **Phantasm** The first film is IMHO just a good B-movie about monsters. The second film has monsters but also has moments of pure creepiness. The third and fourth films have some jump out of your seat moments, but are mostly just terrifying and creepy. Non Spoiler- In the fourth film, one of the protagonists is driving a hearse. An odd looking woman in antiquated clothes and black glasses suddenly appears in the passenger seat. The protagonist keeps waiting for her to transform into some hideous creature and attack him, or to remove the glasses in order to shock him with some horrible deformity or injury and mock him with cold laughter, or at least to utter some prophecy of doom in a sepulcheral voice. After about thirty seconds, she disappears without doing any of those things. “You think when you die you go to Heaven? You come to us!” NOTE-Even though the films were shot years apart, the same cast is used. This makes things a bit odd as some of the characters are not supposed to have aged, **Evil Dead** The characters behave like they have brains. Instead of the standard ‘I don’t care if the walls are bleeding. I don’t believe in ghosts and I ain’t going.’ or ‘This house is haunted. Let’s split up and investigate.’ the characters say things like ‘This house is haunted. I’m leaving right now.’. ---
**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:** [October 14, 2005, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/horror-movie-suggestions/326114/33 "2005-10-14T17:09:51Z")
That British film was about a group of animal-rights activists who are forced to abandon one of their own the the police. He later wants to see them again, and the fun ensues… Anyone know the name? Larva starring Vincent Ventresca is a watchable movie. Everyone’s mentioned some good ones here. ---
**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:** [October 14, 2005, 7:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/horror-movie-suggestions/326114/34 "2005-10-14T19:21:20Z")
Wolfen (if you can find it) Pumpkinhead ---
**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:** [October 14, 2005, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/horror-movie-suggestions/326114/35 "2005-10-14T19:41:26Z")
I’ve posted this before, but because no one has mentioned it here yet, I’ll go ahead and recommend **A Tale of Two Sisters**. One of the best gothic/mystery/psychological horror films I’ve ever seen. Had me glued to the screen (I even found myself doing the old bite the knuckle curled up on the end of the couch thing.) Immediately after I finished watching it, I watched it again. Then I went to the internet to read discussions on this movie. There is a lot to talk about. Masterful storytelling and creation of a mood. Highest recommendation. Also, I thought the original \*\*Omen \*\* was a very effective film. ---
**Author:** ![Caissa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8c91f0/32.png) [@Caissa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Caissa)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2005, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/horror-movie-suggestions/326114/36 "2005-10-14T20:15:24Z")
> [@divemaster](#): > > I’ve posted this before, but because no one has mentioned it here yet, I’ll go ahead and recommend **A Tale of Two Sisters**. One of the best gothic/mystery/psychological horror films I’ve ever seen. Had me glued to the screen (I even found myself doing the old bite the knuckle curled up on the end of the couch thing.) Immediately after I finished watching it, I watched it again. Then I went to the internet to read discussions on this movie. There is a lot to talk about. Masterful storytelling and creation of a mood. Highest recommendation. Which one? [This one](http://us.imdb.com/title/tt0430659/) or [this one](http://us.imdb.com/title/tt0365376/) or [this one](http://us.imdb.com/title/tt0098435/)? ---
**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:** [October 14, 2005, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/horror-movie-suggestions/326114/37 "2005-10-14T20:36:38Z")
> [@Caissa](#): > > Which one? [This one](http://us.imdb.com/title/tt0430659/) or [this one](http://us.imdb.com/title/tt0365376/) or [this one](http://us.imdb.com/title/tt0098435/)? The middle one. It is a Korean movie. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2005, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/horror-movie-suggestions/326114/38 "2005-10-14T21:25:00Z")
If ya want a real horror-film edumacation, **Caissa,** read Stephen King’s _Danse Macabre_ ([http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0425104338/002-4165242-9348818?v=glance&n=283155&n=507846&s=books&v=glance](http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0425104338/002-4165242-9348818?v=glance&n=283155&n=507846&s=books&v=glance)). There’s a whole chapter on the horror films he grew up on and what makes them so great. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/horror-movie-suggestions/326114.md?page=1)