# Recommend some obscure horror/thriller movies! **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 12, 2008, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-obscure-horror-thriller-movies/449085 "2008-05-12T21:31:08Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![El\_DeLuxo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/el_deluxo/32/9043_2.png) [@El\_DeLuxo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/El_DeLuxo)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2008, 1:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-obscure-horror-thriller-movies/449085/61 "2008-05-18T01:54:52Z")
Hey, if it’s horror flix you want, I’m your ace! I like horror movies as much as I do poetry and getting loaded, which is _plenty_, and my tastes are freakin’ impeccable in that realm. So here’s a bale of boss frights, in this jaded mofo’s opinion. First let me second the following which were already recommended: **The Haunting, Repulsion,Black Xmas, God Told Me To, Magic, Whatever Happened To Baby Jane, Freaks.** …all excellent frighteners in their way. And then there’s… \*\*Cookers \*\*- one seriously creepy little film: the story of two meth synthers on the run, a house that might be haunted, and…well, just watch it. It’s one of the best horror movies of the decade. **The Hand** - with Michael Caine! \*\*The Shout \*\*- is this guy as crazy as a rat up a drainpipe-or is he telling the truth? **Eaten Alive** , aka **Starlight Motel Massacre** - early Tobe Hooper opus, about a guy going all to pieces at a disintegrating motel in the Deep South \*\*Alice Sweet Alice \*\*- scary, grim movie about religious dementia and even worse things **Open Water** - a real gut twister; the premise is bare-bones simple but it grabs you by the spine and won’t let go **The Addiction** - seriously flawed (by which I mean the ending pissed me off so bad it almost ruined the movie for me) but effective and thought-provoking take on vampirism. **Near Dark** - another flawed but effective vampire-with-a-twist movie; this one’s about a posse of white trash vamps who roam the Southwest in an RV. **Martin** and **The Crazies** - two lesser-known but fine George Romero movies **The Other** - based on Thomas Tryon’s classic chiller **Nightbreed** - beautiful and horrific and strangely sympathetic tale of monsters, human and otherwise **Dead of Night aka Deathdream** - a Viet Nam-era take on _The Monkey’s Paw_ **Picnic At Hanging Rock** - did somebody say _mindfuck_? **Rabid, They Came From Within, Videodrome, The Brood** - if you’ve never seen these, you’ve missed a treat. These fdour movies are why people think David Cronenberg is God. \*\*Tourist Trap \*\*- eerie, quasi-surreal number involving mannequins and Chuck Connors **The Conqueror Worm** -nasty gem based on the real-life Witchfinder General of England, Matthew Hopkins. Includes Vincent Price \*not \*camping it up! **The Devils** -a Ken Russell extravaganza about alleged demonic possession in an Ursuline convent. Oliver Reed, Vanessa Redgrave, Aldous Huxley – and wasps! **In A Glass Cage** -creepy transgressive shocker, in Spanish with subtitles. **Lady In A Cage** -exuberantly vicious outing starring Olivia deHaviland as a rich lady trapped in a private elevator and beleagured by young sociopaths \*\*Der Todesking \*\*-sort of an abstract expressionist horror movie in German, which grows on you. Invokes real horror with a simple shot of a freeway overpass with superimposed text. \*\*Seance On A Wet Afternoon \*\*-there might or might not be a supernatural element to this; the fact that it doesn’t matter at all is the scary part. **The Deathmaster** -vampire entangles a group of hippies into a cult of nihilistic doom-lovers; it’s somewhat silly but ends on a truly horrific note of despair. ---
**Author:** ![Cuckoorex](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ad7895/32.png) [@Cuckoorex](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cuckoorex)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2008, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-obscure-horror-thriller-movies/449085/62 "2008-05-18T16:19:07Z")
[QUOTE=DLuxN8R-13] Hey, if it’s horror flix you want, I’m your ace! I like horror movies as much as I do poetry and getting loaded, which is _plenty_, and my tastes are freakin’ impeccable in that realm. So here’s a bale of boss frights, in this jaded mofo’s opinion. [/QUOTE] _Fantastic_ recommendations; I’ve added several to my queue. Many thanks! ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2008, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-obscure-horror-thriller-movies/449085/63 "2008-05-18T16:44:32Z")
[Man Bites Dog](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0103905/?c=1) (French title _C’est arrivé près de chez vous_). It’s a Belgian film with subtitles, but totally worth it. Basically it’s a mock documentary about a film crew following a witty, philosophy spouting serial killer. It moves gradually from black comedy to stark horror. Fantastic little film. ---
**Author:** ![Cuckoorex](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ad7895/32.png) [@Cuckoorex](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cuckoorex)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2008, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-obscure-horror-thriller-movies/449085/64 "2008-05-18T17:11:05Z")
[QUOTE=Diogenes the Cynic] [Man Bites Dog](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0103905/?c=1) (French title _C’est arrivé près de chez vous_). It’s a Belgian film with subtitles, but totally worth it. Basically it’s a mock documentary about a film crew following a witty, philosophy spouting serial killer. It moves gradually from black comedy to stark horror. Fantastic little film. [/QUOTE] Yep, saw that one and loved it. Some films have tried a similar premise (_The Last Horror Movie_ stands out as one of the more successful takes) but _Man Bites Dog_ is a classic. Thought I’d give back a little and reveal some other gems found on Netflix. _Die! Die! My Darling!_ Featuring the last screen performance of Tallulah Bankhead as a would-be mother-in-law whose religious fanaticism could put Carrie’s mom to shame. _Die, You Zombie Bastards!_ If you are familiar with Troma films, you know pretty much what to expect with this one. If not, prepare for hilariously (and deliberately) bad overacting, gratuitious boobs, a smattering of ridiculous phalluses (Phalli?) and groan-out-loud jokes. I laughed out loud while watching this alone. Typical of the jokes is the following: Red, the serial killer/hero/husband, whose wife has just been kidnapped, goes to the police: Cop: Did your wife have any enemies? Red: Well, she only did that once in a while, when we were in the mood… Cop: Enemies! ENEMIES! Red: Oh! No, she was well liked! _Deadwood Park_ is a pretty good low-budget indie horror movie by Eric Stanze, though the pacing gets a little slow in parts. Also from Eric Stanze is _Scrapbook_, a mostly ad-libbed horror movie about a woman (Emily Haack) who is abducted and abused by a lunatic who makes his victims write about their experience in a scrapbook before they are killed. The leads in this film decided that they wanted it to be as real as possible, so they literally hit each other and tackled each other and some scenes where some pretty shocking and horrific things are happening _really happened_. Not for the weak of heart or stomach, parts of this movie make movies like _Hostel_ seem like a kid’s movie in comparison. _House of Voices_ reminded me somewhat of _The Orphanage_ but with a different take. Stars the always beautiful Virginie Ledoyen. ---
**Author:** ![Lust4Life](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ecc23a/32.png) [@Lust4Life](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lust4Life)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2008, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-obscure-horror-thriller-movies/449085/65 "2008-05-18T17:48:15Z")
If you want to watch a creepy,disturbing ghost/curse movie watch R Point. Its a Korean film about an army unit in Vietnam sent to find a lost patrol but thats incidental ,it most definitely isn’t a war film. I suggest watching it with the light on and other people in the room if you’re a little bit nervous in character. I honestly cant recommend it too much if you want to feel the hairs on the back of your neck stand up and get a cold feeling in the pit of your stomach. ---
**Author:** ![Cuckoorex](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ad7895/32.png) [@Cuckoorex](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cuckoorex)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2008, 7:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-obscure-horror-thriller-movies/449085/66 "2008-05-18T19:44:13Z")
[QUOTE=Lust4Life] If you want to watch a creepy,disturbing ghost/curse movie watch R Point. Its a Korean film about an army unit in Vietnam sent to find a lost patrol but thats incidental ,it most definitely isn’t a war film. I suggest watching it with the light on and other people in the room if you’re a little bit nervous in character. I honestly cant recommend it too much if you want to feel the hairs on the back of your neck stand up and get a cold feeling in the pit of your stomach. [/QUOTE] Hmmm, not on Netflix apparently; I’ll have to check out some other sources. Sounds a bit like _Deathwatch_ in premise. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2008, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-obscure-horror-thriller-movies/449085/67 "2008-05-18T19:55:51Z")
[This one’s](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=314531) pretty obscure. But very horrifying/terrifying, as I dimly remember it. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2008, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-obscure-horror-thriller-movies/449085/68 "2008-06-02T18:22:23Z")
[The Good Son](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0107034/): Macauley Culkin as a Jeffrey Dahmer type. ---
**Author:** ![Don\_Draper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b2d939/32.png) [@Don\_Draper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Don_Draper)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2008, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-obscure-horror-thriller-movies/449085/69 "2008-06-02T19:08:18Z")
[the Reflecting Skin](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0100469/) - Not strict horror, but very creepy & unsettling. Stars a young, pre-“Lord of the Rings” Viggo Mortensen. ---
**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:** [June 2, 2008, 10:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-obscure-horror-thriller-movies/449085/70 "2008-06-02T22:02:42Z")
Either it ate my post or I’m going nuts. Here goes again: **Night of the Creeps Return of the Living Dead Outpost** ---
**Author:** ![lobotomyboy63](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobotomyboy63/32/2900_2.png) [@lobotomyboy63](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lobotomyboy63)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2008, 11:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-obscure-horror-thriller-movies/449085/71 "2008-06-02T23:36:48Z")
Race with the Devil (Peter Fonda, Warren Oates, Loretta Swit, Lara Parker). These four have a Winnebago and are taking a vacation when they see something they weren’t supposed to see… Suspense, but no T/A. ---
**Author:** ![Nurobath](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/a88e57/32.png) [@Nurobath](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nurobath)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2008, 4:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-obscure-horror-thriller-movies/449085/72 "2008-06-03T04:34:45Z")
[Parents](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0098068/) Creepy little movie with Randy Quaid and Mary Beth Hurt. It’s not on Netflix though. ---
**Author:** ![aruvqan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aruvqan/32/2891_2.png) [@aruvqan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aruvqan)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2008, 11:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-obscure-horror-thriller-movies/449085/73 "2008-06-03T11:01:48Z")
[QUOTE=Nurobath] [Parents](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0098068/) Creepy little movie with Randy Quaid and Mary Beth Hurt. It’s not on Netflix though. [/QUOTE] oooo that is a good one, it was in heavy rotation on cable movie channels about 8 or 9 years ago. ---
**Author:** ![aruvqan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aruvqan/32/2891_2.png) [@aruvqan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aruvqan)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2008, 11:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-obscure-horror-thriller-movies/449085/74 "2008-06-03T11:05:51Z")
[QUOTE=Diogenes the Cynic] [Man Bites Dog](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0103905/?c=1) (French title _C’est arrivé près de chez vous_). It’s a Belgian film with subtitles, but totally worth it. Basically it’s a mock documentary about a film crew following a witty, philosophy spouting serial killer. It moves gradually from black comedy to stark horror. Fantastic little film. [/QUOTE] Oh heck, I cant remember the name of it now, but there is a netflix movie I watched on instant gratification download about a woman who blackmails a serial killer into training her to kill. Absolutely fun and a bit gory. Very odd twisty ending. Also another serial killer movie - cant remember the name, also on instant watch where a film crew documents the making of a mass murderer. Set up is there is a haunted house, where some murder took place 20 or 30 years before, and this young guy has decided he will become the monster and has been working on seting up the situation [stalking a particular young waitress and so forth] wierd ending but great movie. I will try to find the names of the 2 movies when I can get into netflix, it is not loading for some reason. ---
**Author:** ![aruvqan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aruvqan/32/2891_2.png) [@aruvqan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aruvqan)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2008, 11:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-obscure-horror-thriller-movies/449085/75 "2008-06-03T11:17:06Z")
[QUOTE=aruvqan] Oh heck, I cant remember the name of it now, but there is a netflix movie I watched on instant gratification download about a woman who blackmails a serial killer into training her to kill. Absolutely fun and a bit gory. Very odd twisty ending. Also another serial killer movie - cant remember the name, also on instant watch where a film crew documents the making of a mass murderer. Set up is there is a haunted house, where some murder took place 20 or 30 years before, and this young guy has decided he will become the monster and has been working on seting up the situation [stalking a particular young waitress and so forth] wierd ending but great movie. I will try to find the names of the 2 movies when I can get into netflix, it is not loading for some reason. [/QUOTE] Behind the Mask - The Rise of Leslie Vernon is the second movie I mentioned. Still looking for the first one. Bloodletting is the first one about the woman who wants to learn to kill. I really need to go through my watched on instant list for some suggestions. I love that feature, but unfortunately, if it is a double feature frequently only the first movie is available, and on one all you got was the directors babbling over the dialog and sound effects version. And some of the DVD rips are out of focus or the scan is off so you get odd double images. I just remembered a Klaus Kinski horror movie, but I cant find it listed, but if you search instant for klaus kinski, it is a neat german filmm about an exxcaped madman and he kils with a claw… ---
**Author:** ![Cuckoorex](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ad7895/32.png) [@Cuckoorex](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cuckoorex)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2008, 1:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-obscure-horror-thriller-movies/449085/76 "2008-06-03T13:37:23Z")
[QUOTE=aruvqan] Behind the Mask - The Rise of Leslie Vernon is the second movie I mentioned. Still looking for the first one. Bloodletting is the first one about the woman who wants to learn to kill. [/QUOTE] I’ve seen **Behind The Mask,** and **Bloodletting** already; thanks for the suggestions, though! I enjoyed them both when I watched them. ---
**Author:** ![RiverRunner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/977dab/32.png) [@RiverRunner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RiverRunner)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2008, 2:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-obscure-horror-thriller-movies/449085/77 "2008-06-03T14:36:48Z")
It’s a little different from the suggestions I have seen so far, but if you like a bit of comedy mixed with your horror, [An American Werewolf in London](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0082010/) is enjoyable. RR ---
**Author:** ![Zebra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/c0e974/32.png) [@Zebra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zebra)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2008, 2:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-obscure-horror-thriller-movies/449085/78 "2008-06-03T14:40:21Z")
[Anguish](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0090644/) You need to work through the first 30mins or so, as it starts off slow then it gets really interesting/weird. [The Navigator](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0095709/) Best time travel adventure movie EVER! Riveting as hell. ---
**Author:** ![Cuckoorex](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ad7895/32.png) [@Cuckoorex](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cuckoorex)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2008, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-obscure-horror-thriller-movies/449085/79 "2008-06-03T14:56:48Z")
**American Werewolf in London** is already in my permanent collection, love it! **Anguish, The Navigator** and **Parents** don’t seem to be available yet on Netflix, but I’ll keep an eye out for them. ---
**Author:** ![Gail](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Gail](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gail)\ **Post date:** [June 3, 2008, 10:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-obscure-horror-thriller-movies/449085/80 "2008-06-03T22:11:05Z")
There was a 1978 miniseries on TV based on Thomas Tryon’s novel _Harvest Home_. It seems so obscure now, I’m guessing it’s not on Netflix…I haven’t thought about it in years. But, anyway, that show was damn creepy–you might want to look it up. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-obscure-horror-thriller-movies/449085.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-some-obscure-horror-thriller-movies/449085.md?page=5)