Give me 5 movies I need to watch RIGHT NOW to get me a horror edumacation... - Page 2

To be a grown man, you need to see

Death Bed - The Bed that Eats
Monsturd
Raging Sharks (aliens controlling Great Whites)
The Car
Pinata Island

I personally much prefer .Rec, but I really do not exaggerate when I say they are essentially the same film. Practically shot for shot. Quarantine scared me a little more, but I saw it in the cinema in a nearly empty screening whereas I watched .Rec with my boyfriend in a room with all the lights on, so it's kind of hard to judge XD My preference for .Rec is nothing but a slight bias against remakes as well as a heavy bias in favour of pretty blondes over women who look like, well, who look like the girl in Quarantine XD



Just wanna say first, in your quote you spliced together two different bits of films I was describing - obviously my grammar leaves something to be desired. If you're after Arielle Kebbel in her panties, you want Reeker :P

Sarah Brightman is AMAZING in Repo, tbh even if the film sucked you'd want to give it a watch for her. Anthony Stewart Head is the real stand out performance in my opinion, really great actor as well as singer. And Paris Hilton is surprisingly very very good (but they cut her best song - if you get the DVD make sure to watch the deleted scene 'Come up and try my new parts'). I personally really like the music, it's a mix of genres most of the time. Some of it you possibly could call 'nu metal crap', but there's some classically influenced pieces as well, and quite a lot of songs sound like something you'd expect in a regular stage musical. And the visuals are just as impressive as the trailer makes them look.

It's not a popular film though, before I got an account and was lurking around these parts (creepy, I know) I read the Chud thread about Repo and no one seemed to like it.

Thanks for the info Cleo. I'll definitely give Repo a chance at least.

I probably would have seen it anyway. Yeah, Brightman is enough to get my ass in a seat. But the opportunity to see both Bill Moseley and PAUL SORVINO in a MUSICAL also insures my money will be spent on this film.

I think we're stretching the point of this thread a little. Might I direct you to the horror recommendation or WARNING thread?

Eep, I totally forgot to mention Paul Sorvino. They don't give him many decent songs unfortunately, but his one big song 'Gold' is stunning. The guy has a seriously awesome voice.

No, no - if you had to watch five movies RIGHT NOW to get a horror education, Quarantine and Repo: The Genetic Opera should take up 2/5 of that list. No question. Then just watch Dead Birds three times, and you're fine.

I posted a list of five movies, and mentioned some alternates. And now we're talking about them. Chill.

Yes. Not being flip here, either, but I have had a thing for the giant, building smashing, Godzilla sized monster played seriously for years. I posited something I call "The Godzilla problem" a while ago in a thread about whether or not this idea can ever be pulled off w/ a straight face in the wake of the comedic turns the Godzilla franchise has taken over the years. I think Cloverfield pulls it off, but on further reflection, probably not part of the foundation of a good horror edumacation.

Hehehe. To put it more lightly, discussing crap horror is actually encouraged in that other thread. Everybody wins, and poor Ludwig won't run out and watch Repo: The Genetic Opera for no good reason!

Despite the ridicule, I'll still be giving Repo a spin as soon as I can find a copy in my neck of the woods.

IggytheBorg mentioned how Cloverfield was the first monster movie to pull it off. I haven't seen The Host (I want to) but I would have to say I agree. Cloverfield was the first time I was genuinely startled, even scared, by a monster movie. The little moment as they're running into the subway and it jumps towards the camera almost made me drop a turd.

Ditto the stomach explosion sequence... That was some unsettling shit.

Lots of good suggestions so far.

It hasn't been mentioned so far, but there's a great, and cheap, Val Lewton box set out there that's definitely worth a visit. CAT PEOPLE and I WALKED WITH A ZOMBIE especially.

A Lovecraft fan might also get a kick out of QUATERMASS AND THE PIT as a construction site turns into an archeological site turns into a mystery involving the very origins of human intelligence and how it may have been shaped from outside the planet.

In a similar vein, the rational confronting the irrational, CURSE OF THE DEMON if you dig Jacques Tourneour's work with Val Lewton.

And, of course, RE-ANIMATOR for Lovecraft fans.

I'm new and trying to avoid being drawn into arguments, but 'crap' horror is a pretty subjective statement. Repo is one of my favourite movies and I've seen a lot of horror including some of the so called greats. The thing about movies of any genre is that they are entertainment, and different people have different opinions of which films are good and which films are bad. I think Repo is good. So do some other people. You obviously don't. No one is right or wrong, it's just a difference of opinion.

To say that one opinion is as valid as another is seriously off base.

It isn't for a lot of things, but whether or not a movie is worth watching is a very subjective judgment, and most if not all opinions of that ARE valid. If something exists to be entertaining then it's value lies in if it entertains people. I was entertained by Repo, so I find it good. You weren't, so you find it bad. Explain to me how those opinions are not equally valid?

As a warning to a fellow UK chewer - you're best to avoid the "validity of opinions" argument Cleo. You've got to bear in mind that there is the existance of uninformed and biased opinion - which immediately render the idea of equality in opinion slightly moot.

You may well have enjoyed Repo, but it's not considered to be an important film to the genre - and certainly not one of the 5 quintessential titles that define horror or changed the genre entirely.

1: Halloween- The king of a subgenre I'm not really into, will lead you to Freddy, Jason, and countless other slasher imitators.

2: Night of the Living Dead- The modern zombie is born. Will lead you to everything from Dawn to Shaun, and "almost zombie" films such as 28 Days Later and...

3: The Evil Dead- Extreme gore and intentional(and unintentional) humor that will lead you to it's superior(and far less serious) sequel(s) and other films that blend comedy and gore in great ways, such as Slither, An American Werewolf in London, and Dead Alive. Once Dead Alive has completely desensitized you to gore, you should be able to watch just about anything.

4: The Shining- Great psychological and mood horror, with "shock moments" interspersed. For my money, the best of the "haunted house" films. This movie is pure mood without being overly graphic.

5: Alien- The modern "stalked by a monster" movie. It's a variation on the slasher, but it mixes genres and will lead you to everything from shit like Virus and Carnotaur, mediocrity like The Relic, and great stuff like Predator and in a way, The Thing('82).


These could all be substituted for other films people have listed. Psycho, Nosferatu, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, The Exorcist, The Hammer horror stuff, etc etc.
I know, I repeated a lot of the shit that's already been mentioned, but hey, I like making lists.

I've been warned, believe me, which is why I tried not to be drawn. This site has a bit of a reputation for shredding newbies, but I'm the outspoken type, I can't help it! But at the same time, we're arguing films here. Not science or politics or any number of things where you absolutely have to (or really should) know what you're talking about. Ultimately a film's most important function is to entertain - yeah there are technicalities that can make it good or bad but a lot of it does just come down to 'how much fun did I have watching this?'. I don't agree all opinions are valid - but I think most opinions that aren't eye-burningly stupid deserve a little consideration.

Which is why, you will note, it wasn't on my list. It was on my 'alternate films and sub-genres you may wanna check out' bit at the bottom of my post. There is no way Repo is an important film to the genre because aside from anything else it is like nothing else in the genre I have ever seen, and the fact that it is so unpopular means I wouldn't even consider it for a most important/best/top whatever list. I just like it.

There are a lot of important films that you will not have fun watching, does that change how you define an important film?

It's not a dig. I felt the same way about film you did a couple of years ago.

Most opinions don't deserve consideration, especially here, but that's beside the point.

When I suggested hopping over into that other thread, I wasn't trying to be mean. Repo: The Genetic Opera isn't even close to being ancillary to a good horror education. Recommend horror in the "recommend horror" thread so everybody who subscribes to it can check out your recommendation.

CHUD as a whole, maybe, but Creature Corner specifically never did. At least, I never perceived it as such. Things have been a little slow around here, lately, and I for one am glad to see some new faces entering the arena. It'd be nice if we didn't sour them so quickly by turning this into a facsimile of the comic book board. There's nicer ways to question the validity of a film's being on this list than "Worst. Opinion. Ever."

I was shitting on people absurdly misinterpreting the point of this thread; not their opinions, which I remain apathetic about.

Love,

Phil

As a minor aside and in support of Cleo, while I don't think Repo is a good movie by any stretch of the imagination, it's what I would certainly consider an interesting failure. For that reason alone, I would say it's worth a watch. On the other hand, if it comes down to a decision between watching Repo or, say, The Exorcist, go watch Linda Blair verbally abuse a Catholic priest.

Ludwig, I'll be interested to hear your thoughts on your horror selections. As Iggy sort of mentions, it's always good to have new blood 'round these parts.

ETA: Sorry, because I'm responding to two days of posts quickly, but I rewatched Cloverfield over the weekend and it still holds up. You wouldn't think a gimmicky film like it would work over multiple viewings, but I find that it does excellently. Just my two cents.

Films like Repo & Cloverfiled may be more of an advanced exploration of horror's nuances than foundational material. But that's another thread, as has been mentioned. Phil's & Nexus 7's lists are probably the most solid in this thread for that purpose, but almost everything mentioned bears viewing at some point, if you find after laying said foundation that you have an interest in further exploration.

I think this thread was pretty much over after the Horror Draft list was linked to. Not that there's anything wrong with a little discussion.

ahaha hadn't read this.
I had a theme! And a successful one!

Well, that's certainly an education.

But a pretty patchy one, Suspiria and Hellraiser aside

Slave of the Cannibal God? Really? I can even argue in favor of Anthropophagus, but Slave of the Cannibal God isn't only boring and stupid, it's an adventure flick, not a horror movie. At all.

(edit: Sorry, Mountain of the Cannibal God. Same movie)

I didn't say it was the best education, but certainly an eye-opener. Read my previous post as if I had a wide-eyed quizzical sideways glance.