# What old horror movie should my friends and I watch? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 31, 2013, 4:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-old-horror-movie-should-my-friends-and-i-watch/677541 "2013-12-31T04:17:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**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:** [December 31, 2013, 4:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-old-horror-movie-should-my-friends-and-i-watch/677541/1 "2013-12-31T04:17:24Z")
It’s become something of an annual tradition with myself and a few friends that we get together on New Year’s Day, have dinner and watch some hoary old horror movie. Usually from the 70s grind-house era, but not strictly. We’ve already seen “Don’t Go Into the Basement”, “Night of the Living Dead”, and “Black Christmas.” Now I’ve been tasked with choosing Wednesday’s feature presentation. I’ve narrowed it down to a shortlist: “Let’s Scare Jessica to Death”, “Burnt Offerings”, “It’s Alive!” or the original “The Crazies.” What’s the Teeming Millions advice? Which of these would you pick - or can you suggest anything else? Pleased be advised that I’ve ruled out “The Exorcist” “The Omen”, “Carrie”, “Halloween” or “Friday the 13th” as these are too well known. My friends & I have seen them all several times apiece. I’d like to come up with some a bit more esoteric. So, your thoughts? ---
**Author:** ![LC\_Strawhouse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e19adc/32.png) [@LC\_Strawhouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LC_Strawhouse)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2013, 4:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-old-horror-movie-should-my-friends-and-i-watch/677541/2 "2013-12-31T04:21:20Z")
A couple of nasties from 1982: **Amityville II: The Possession** or **The Entity** **Death Dream** and **Children Shouldn’t Play With Dead Things** are both pretty cool early-1970s films from the director of **Black Christmas**. Early David Cronenberg would work too: **The Brood** , **Shivers** , etc. ETA: If you want to stretch out a bit and try '70s Italian horror, check out **Suspiria** (a very well made film), **Deep Red** or **Zombie** (1980) ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2013, 4:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-old-horror-movie-should-my-friends-and-i-watch/677541/3 "2013-12-31T04:42:05Z")
[**Carnival of Souls**](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=exUFpSFblaw) for artsy-fartsy creepiness. Good enough to make the [Criterion Collection](http://www.criterion.com/films/607-carnival-of-souls), and most of those aren’t utter shite (_Easy Rider_). My daughter takes pride in the movies she’s never seen so I know she hasn’t seen _A Clockwork Orange_ and maybe some year I can treat her like Alex and make her watch ALL of them! ---
**Author:** ![Dale\_Sams](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/779978/32.png) [@Dale\_Sams](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dale_Sams)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2013, 4:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-old-horror-movie-should-my-friends-and-i-watch/677541/4 "2013-12-31T04:49:01Z")
“Black Noon” or “Trilogy of Terror”. The original Night Stalker film… ---
**Author:** ![AuntiePam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@AuntiePam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AuntiePam)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2013, 4:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-old-horror-movie-should-my-friends-and-i-watch/677541/5 "2013-12-31T04:53:41Z")
Not strictly horror, but I have fond memories of _Razorback_, an Australian movie about a killer pig. You didn’t mention _Evil Dead_ on your familiar list. ?? _Re-Animator_? All I remember is the exploding head. What’s the one with Kim Darby and the little demons? Oh! The one with the creepy people living in the walls of an old house!!! I don’t remember any of the actors’ names or I’d look it up. Someone will know. ---
**Author:** ![Slithy\_Tove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slithy_tove/32/18248_2.png) [@Slithy\_Tove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slithy_Tove)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2013, 5:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-old-horror-movie-should-my-friends-and-i-watch/677541/6 "2013-12-31T05:09:33Z")
[trailer for Black Sunday](http://youtu.be/1Q5nV12AgVc). Scary for its era, but awesome for all time for the actors’ ability to committ so sincerely to such hoary material. ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2013, 5:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-old-horror-movie-should-my-friends-and-i-watch/677541/7 "2013-12-31T05:16:23Z")
> [@LC\_Strawhouse](#): > > A couple of nasties from 1982: **Amityville II: The Possession** or **The Entity** > > **Death Dream** and **Children Shouldn’t Play With Dead Things** are both pretty cool early-1970s films from the director of **Black Christmas**. > > Early David Cronenberg would work too: **The Brood** , **Shivers** , etc. > > ETA: If you want to stretch out a bit and try '70s Italian horror, check out **Suspiria** (a very well made film), **Deep Red** or **Zombie** (1980) **[Suspiria](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suspiria)** is a truly great movie. A 94% score on Rotten Tomatoes and an awesome soundtrack by \*Goblin \*I saw this at the movies in 1977 and the next night went back with everyone I could rustle up to see it again. ---
**Author:** ![Dale\_Sams](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/779978/32.png) [@Dale\_Sams](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dale_Sams)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2013, 5:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-old-horror-movie-should-my-friends-and-i-watch/677541/8 "2013-12-31T05:39:29Z")
> [@AuntiePam](#): > > Not strictly horror, but I have fond memories of _Razorback_, an Australian movie about a killer pig. > > You didn’t mention _Evil Dead_ on your familiar list. ?? > > _Re-Animator_? All I remember is the exploding head. > > What’s the one with Kim Darby and the little demons? > > Oh! The one with the creepy people living in the walls of an old house!!! I don’t remember any of the actors’ names or I’d look it up. Someone will know. The Kim Darby one is “Don’t be Afraid of the Dark”…which is also the same as the one you can’t remember isn’t it? “The Other” is another good one. Or “Sisters” ---
**Author:** ![Trinopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/2bfe46/32.png) [@Trinopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trinopus)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2013, 5:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-old-horror-movie-should-my-friends-and-i-watch/677541/9 "2013-12-31T05:40:38Z")
I’m a big fan of “The Screaming Skull.” It’s hokey…but it has some really nice bits. ---
**Author:** ![joyfool](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/df788c/32.png) [@joyfool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/joyfool)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2013, 5:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-old-horror-movie-should-my-friends-and-i-watch/677541/10 "2013-12-31T05:41:15Z")
Out of the ones you’ve already picked, I’d go with _Burnt Offerings_. Karen Black is creepy in general, so it’s already got that going for it. Add in some excellent atmosphere and you all should thoroughly enjoy it. Good luck! ---
**Author:** ![AuntiePam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@AuntiePam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AuntiePam)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2013, 6:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-old-horror-movie-should-my-friends-and-i-watch/677541/11 "2013-12-31T06:15:54Z")
> [@Dale\_Sams](#): > > The Kim Darby one is “Don’t be Afraid of the Dark”…which is also the same as the one you can’t remember isn’t it? There’s another one – I was surprised at how much I liked it. There’s a teenage boy and girl, and a younger child (a boy, I think), and they’re hiding from the people who live in the house. (It’s not Flowers in the Attic.) One of the kids is weird, and the adults are definitely weird, and murderous. The kids survive, IIRC. Found it – [The People Under the Stairs](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0105121/). ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2013, 6:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-old-horror-movie-should-my-friends-and-i-watch/677541/12 "2013-12-31T06:35:08Z")
[The Frogs.](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frogs_%28film%29) ---
**Author:** ![Baker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bb73d2/32.png) [@Baker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baker)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2013, 6:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-old-horror-movie-should-my-friends-and-i-watch/677541/13 "2013-12-31T06:39:18Z")
> [@Slithy\_Tove](#): > > [trailer for Black Sunday](http://youtu.be/1Q5nV12AgVc). > > Scary for its era, but awesome for all time for the actors’ ability to committ so sincerely to such hoary material. Shoot, for a minute I thought you were talking about the 1977 film, also titled _Black Sunday._(the one with the Goodyear blimp) ---
**Author:** ![handsomeharry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e9c0ed/32.png) [@handsomeharry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handsomeharry)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2013, 6:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-old-horror-movie-should-my-friends-and-i-watch/677541/14 "2013-12-31T06:52:29Z")
I have heard that “Don’t Look Now” w/Donald Sutherland was really really good. ---
**Author:** ![Einstein\_was\_a\_Hippie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e99b99/32.png) [@Einstein\_was\_a\_Hippie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Einstein_was_a_Hippie)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2013, 6:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-old-horror-movie-should-my-friends-and-i-watch/677541/15 "2013-12-31T06:58:00Z")
The original Tales From the Crypt from around 1973. ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_R.Mortiss](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tim_r.mortiss/32/142_2.png) [@Tim\_R.Mortiss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_R.Mortiss)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2013, 7:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-old-horror-movie-should-my-friends-and-i-watch/677541/16 "2013-12-31T07:04:40Z")
“Bordello of Blood” is good for a laugh and a cringe. If you want more recent, non-ironic yet still post-modern horror, a couple of recent ones I really liked were “The Cabin In The Woods” and “Tucker & Dale vs. Evil.” Both are genre-busting, clever, and hilarious. ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2013, 7:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-old-horror-movie-should-my-friends-and-i-watch/677541/17 "2013-12-31T07:07:20Z")
> [@handsomeharry](#): > > I have heard that “Don’t Look Now” w/Donald Sutherland was really really good. It is but it’s more thriller than horror movie. It has just about my all time favorite sex scene too. ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2013, 7:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-old-horror-movie-should-my-friends-and-i-watch/677541/18 "2013-12-31T07:20:41Z")
> [@AuntiePam](#): > > Not strictly horror, but I have fond memories of _Razorback_, an Australian movie about a killer pig. Years ago I took my son to buy a pet ferret. The sellers were two women who lived in a multi-level house with an open plan. When you walked in you went down a long set of stairs into the main room. Looking back up, mounted on the wall was [this](http://horrorpediadotcom.files.wordpress.com/2013/01/razorback.jpg). One of the women had, I believe, designed and made it. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2013, 7:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-old-horror-movie-should-my-friends-and-i-watch/677541/19 "2013-12-31T07:30:15Z")
Not being a fan of too extreme gore, I’d suggest _The Thing_, 1951 or 1982 version. (But the 1951 version was actually entitled _The Thing from Another World_.) ---
**Author:** ![Grrr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grrr/32/146_2.png) [@Grrr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grrr)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2013, 7:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-old-horror-movie-should-my-friends-and-i-watch/677541/20 "2013-12-31T07:35:42Z")
**The Stuff** , is an absolute must see. Perfect for group watching. (Currently available on Netflix streaming.) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-old-horror-movie-should-my-friends-and-i-watch/677541.md?page=2)