<strike>So Halloween is a upon us again. So recommend me (and the assembled dopers) a good recent low-budget horror movie. To get us going here are a couple that I’ve watched recently that get two undead decaying zombie thumbs up…
Zombies Anonymous - Excellent, and SERIOUSLY low budget, zombie movie. Everything you could want in a low-budget zombie movie, a bit of social commentary, and a lot of awesome low-budget gore. Loses it a little in the end IMO, but I’ll give them the benefit of the doubt and chalk that up to running out of money, rather than any creative failing.
Ginger Snaps 2 - Canadian werewolf movie, bit slow in places, but keeps the suspense until the end, and has a good twist ending.
And one that gets two severed thumbs DOWN:
Tooth and Nail - Despite a promising premise (kinda like Mad Max versus the Reavers from Serenity), its a terrible movie. Slow and boring, really don’t care about of the characters.</strike>
The Signal. Very low budget, very independent sensibility. Not without its flaws (the first half hour is markedly better than the last half hour). Still, very much worth a look, for a smartly made horror film, well outside the mainstream.
Dance of the Dead - First new zombie movie I have enjoyed in awhile. Sure the main casts are annoying teenagers but the movie was fun and some of the acting was superb.
If you can get a copy of [REC] the Spanish original that Quarantine is based on, and you don’t mind lots of shaky cam, you’re good. I’ve seen both the original and the remake, and I would consider it a toss-up as to which is better; there are some changes to the end of the American version that I think work better than the original storyline, but overall it’s nearly a shot-for-shot remake. Jennifer Carpenter does a great job acting hysterical, but (no offense, Jennifer!) Manuela Valasco is cuter. Spiral is from the group that made Hatchet, and is more of a psychological horror movie, as opposed to the slasher-style Hatchet.
Totally second Ginger Snaps 2. I just saw that one last week for the . . . I dunno, eighth time. Ginger Snaps 3 is still my favorite, though.
I’ll throw in some love for Madhouse. The not-so-surprising surprise ending aside, it’s a creepy little film that I can’t help watching over and over again.
Dark Floors is a Finnish movie in English with British actors helmed by the crapstacular Finnish metal band Lordi. No, seriously.
The thing is, that half of it is quite good, clearly inspired by the Silent Hill video games. But the third act, when the members of the band appear in demon make-up and they just end the movie when they run out of ideas, is pretty silly, but the first hour or so is surprisingly decent.
Quarantine is remake ? Man, I had no idea. Has Hollywood made any movies recently that weren’t ? Sometimes i think a secret plague has wiped out the entire community of Hollywood script writers
I’ll recommend The Descent, if you haven’t seen it. VERY creepy and claustrophobic and one of the scarier movies I’ve seen in recent years.
I’ll also add Feast, which was the Project Greenlight movie from a few years ago. Very low budget, but with some recognizable B- and C-list actors. It’s tongue-in-cheek, but also pretty scary at times. The monsters are frightening.
I second The Signal, but it is definitely a different kind of horror film. Relatively slow-paced (especially the middle), but psychologically freaky nonetheless.
Just watched Feast and enjoyed it quite a bit. It has a good sense of humor about itself, and doesn’t try to be greater than it is.
I’m currently watching (I watch movies in snatches of about an hour at a time during lunch at work) a movie from France called Inside. I should finish it today, will post again when I’m done.
Teeth is not quite horror and not quite dark comedy, but it’s close to both, and it’s good. Pay no attention to the 5.9 on IMDb – it’s a solid 7-something.
