Chewers' 100 Scariest Films of the 00's - Page 2

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Originally Posted by Love Machine 

36. Paranormal Activity (2007):

 

Yeah, it's not perfect, the characters don't act like regular people would (like, say run the fuck away from the house), but in a packed cinema in the West End of London, this played like a bastard. I think the idea that a demonic force is, and has been for years, simply fucking with someone just because plays on the same fear Lovecraft some masterfully tapped into. The last five minutes genunienly scared the crap out of me, and included one of the all time great movie screams...  

As a lifetime fan of horror, nearing forty, Paranormal Activity is, quite simply, the most effective film I have ever seen at making the audience member's own home a sleepless prison of pure dread.

37. Pontypool (2008 - d. Bruce McDonald)

To quote Neil Young: "Words...words"

Bloody hell, the numbering is off again. The next pick will be #40.

40.  Zodiac (2007)  dir. David Fincher

Although this is mainly a police procedural, the brutal murders that open the film permeate the entire running time.  That daytime murder by the lake haunted me for days afterwards.  Just terrifying.  A masterpiece about obsession and a disturbing depiction of a murderer who got off scot-free.  

41. The Host (dir. Joon-ho Bong, 2006)

It might be the monster movie of the decade. It's certainly funny, politically poignant, satirical, melodramatic, and every point in between. It's also scary, particularly in the monster's lair, and has a ballsy ending.

42. Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon.

43. Dawn of the Dead (Snyder, 2004)

America always sorts its shit out.

Of all the horror remakes out there in the genre, let alone Hollywood, Dawn of the Dead was one that shouldn't have been successful. More action, less subtlety, a director who'd probably favor style over substance...it could have been everything the original wasn't, and detrimentally so.

It isn't the original. Few things are. But what Zack Snyder and James Gunn (with some ghost work by Michael Tolkin and Scott Frank!) brought to the table is relentless, scary, exciting, gory, and yes, fresh. Where Romero decided to mock the braindead legacy of consumerism and conformity, the 2004 Dawn capitalizes on post-9/11 cynicism and carnage in a pure, primal fashion that few other horror films were able to succeed at. Its less ambiguously dreadful ending is even more vindicating of this achievement, and it perfectly reflects how the genre reflects our culture at a specific moment.

Other than The Descent, there was no other horror film had me less edgy in my seat in the theater. And that "Down with the Sickness" montage is one for the ages.

The brilliant Saul Bass by way of David Fincher opening credits:

44. Sexy Beast

2000, dir. Jonathan Glazer

You're the problem! You're the fucking problem you fucking Dr White honkin' jam-rag fucking spunk-bubble! I'm telling you Aitch you keep looking at me I'll put you in the fucking ground, promise you!

Nothing Ben Kingsley has ever done in his career could have prepared us for Don Logan. The rabidly violent hardman who's unhinged brutality is matched only by a fierce calm that threatens to erupt at the slightest disturbance. Starring as the one man who could make Hannibal Lecter sweat, Kingsley is the sweet, terrifying center of Glazer's brilliant Kubrick-ian crime thriller.

I'd argue that the sight of Ray Winstone in an orange Speedo is only a grain of sand less scary than Don Logan.

# 45. (Seriously?)

Let the Right One In

46. Dog Soldiers

"There is no spoon!"

Quote:

Originally Posted by Whiteboy Jones 

The scene where the father breaks down and screams that there is no God destroyed me. It was Dear Zachary-levels of sadness.

Yeah, that was a truly heartbreaking scene. It's one thing for a person to not believe in God having arrived at that decision in a calm, unemotional, well-reasoned way. It's quite another when a person's belief is snatched away so cruelly, especially when that belief clearly was something that once brought a lot of comfort.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Whiteboy Jones 

I couldn't even bring myself to hate the priest by the end, after we've learned how he was himself abused

It's been a while since I saw the film, wasn't the only real proof of this that he himself claimed it happened? Even at the end of the film I remember wishing that someone would walk up to him and punch the creepy bastard right in his smiling fucking face.
 

47. PAN'S LABYRINTH (2006) dir. Guillermo Del Toro

In a movie with a bunch of monsters in it, the real horror is mankind. The infamous Pale Man is practically a relief compared to Vidal and what he represents. That's chilling.

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Originally Posted by Disciple_72 It's been a while since I saw the film, wasn't the only real proof of this that he himself claimed it happened? Even at the end of the film I remember wishing that someone would walk up to him and punch the creepy bastard right in his smiling fucking face. 

Was that how it was? I can't recall. Since an overwhelming share of sexual predators start out as victims, I'm inclined to believe it. I can totally understand still hating the guy though. I just ended up looking at him sort of the same way I look at Gollum.

One take on the phenomenon of child abuse I'd heard is that some perpetrators, who were themselves assaulted as children, abuse kids as a way to regain the power that they'd lost when they were abused. It's a hellish, self-perpetuating cycle.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Whiteboy Jones 

 

 Since an overwhelming share of sexual predators start out as victims, I'm inclined to believe it.

I know that happens a lot, I'm just not sure I believe it happened to him. I just didn't buy it.

Yeah, he could have easily been lying. Yet another painful, disturbing element to the film.

48.

2007, dir. Joel & Ethan Coen

Nervous Accountant: Are you going to shoot me?

Chigurh: That depends. Do you see me?

Anton Chigurh. The only man that could make Don Logan sweat.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Art Decade 

Anton Chigurh. The only man that could make Don Logan sweat.

The only man who could make a ton of heavies sweat.

49. There Will Be Blood (Anderson, 2007)

You're a bastard in a basket!

Inherently, it's not horror, but the colossal shadow of Daniel Plainview can scare the shit out of the most hardened person. The end sequence is scarier than most horror films. And that score.

50. Trick 'r Treat (2007)

It was suppose to come out in 2007. We had to wait until 2009 for it to finally be available on dvd, but it was worth it.

Equal parts Creepshow and Pulp Fiction, Michael Dougherty made a movie that is perfect viewing for the month of October.

If there was any justice in the world, this should have been released in theaters and spawned a bunch of sequels involving Sam, the movie's trick 'r treating mascot.

51. Orphan (2009)

The textbook definition of "guilty pleasure".   One of those horror films that takes a tired premise and jolts it back to life through great writing, game performances, and a twist ending that is so stupid and over the top that it becomes kind of awesome.

52. The Dark Knight (dir. Christopher Nolan, 2008)

Can we all agree that The Dark Knight was loaded with metaphors for the post-9/11 world? The Joker being the embodiment of the uncontrollable, unpredictable terrorist that forces us to compromise our own values.

53.

2004, dir. Michael Mann

You got ten minutes. 10:01? I drive the cab to the hospital and execute your mother on my way out of town, and don't pretend indifference.

Jaws in a suit, Tom Cruise's Vincent is one scary motherfucker. Calm & painterly in his sociopathy one moment, unrelenting & terrifyingly vicious the next.

Nothing to see here.

Audition went on the 90s list.  IMDB lists it as a 1999 release.

Might I make a suggestion for 54? 

54. Battle Royale (2000) dir. Kinji Fukasaku

Time for me to get back on track here.

55. Final Destination 2 (2003) Director - David R. Ellis

Since YouTube will not embed the terrific opening, I'll give you this nice little taste of mayhem.

37. Funny Games- loved this movie.

Quote:

Originally Posted by S.D. Bob Plissken 

56. Grindhouse (2007) dir. Robert Rodriguez & Quentin Tarantino (add. segments by Rob Zombie, Edgar Wright, and Eli Roth)

Planet Terror is the greatest John Carpenter movie "not made by John Carpenter" ever made.

 cant believe this not listed yet. I can thank Chud for bringing my attention to it.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Park Chan-wookie 

Time for me to get back on track here.

 

55. Final Destination 2 (2003) Director - David R. Ellis

Since YouTube will not embed the terrific opening, I'll give you this nice little taste of mayhem.

 

God, that clip is awesome.

"Hey, what're those guys doing here?  OH HEY!  PIGEONS!!!!"

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Originally Posted by 3nnui 

 cant believe this not listed yet. I can thank Chud for bringing my attention to it.

It was listed at #45.

58. The Devil's Backbone (2001) d. Guillermo del Toro

Creepy little boy ghost. del Toro. Nuff said.

And since I missed a day I'm going twice. Sue me.

59. Infection (2004) d. Masayuki Ochiai

Little talked about J-horror that brings something a bit different to the table. If you missed this one, jump on that shit right now.

60. LAKE MUNGO (2008) dir. Joel Anderson

This excellent ghost story does feature a few classic haunting moments that will make the hairs on the back of your neck stand up, but it's really more about horror of an existential variety, and that's what makes it great. It's about being haunted by our mortality. The horror of gazing into the impenetrable black abyss of death, be it your own or that of a loved one.

61.

2008, dir. Fernando Meirelles

Much like Children Of Men, this is an ultra-realistic & oppressively disturbing end of the world film. A mysterious, hyper-contagious disease that renders people blind has spread throughout the world like wild fire. The earliest known victims are scuttled into over-crowded asylums, where the deterioration of the outside world leads them into a building wide Darwinian war for it's remaining resources. Rape & violence become commonplace & a small group of inmates, led by Julianne Moore, escape out into an unfamiliar new world filled with nothing but the dead & the blind.

While it's not as entirely solid as Cuaron's masterpiece, it's still a harrowing film experience that burns more than a couple images of horror permanently onto your brain.

just goes to show I can neither read threads nor number films, I will skulk away and stew in my own fail for a while.

61. While it is more of a dry comedy, Nessie's last attack is intense.

63. Ginger Snaps (2000) d. John Fawcett

Great werewolf movie with a mixture of horror and black comedy. Let's all just pretend Cursed never happened.

64. 30 Days of Night (2007) dir. David Slade

A really great movie adapted from the comics.  How I wish the sequel was given a big budget with stars returning.

As Barrow, Alaska is making preparations for the annual 30 day period where there is no sun, some vampires have decided this would be the perfect buffet.

The scene where Danny Huston prepares to kill a young woman she screams out "Oh God" or something like that.  Huston leans in and says "No. No God".  Holy shit, bone chilling.

x

65. Noroi: The Curse (2005), dir Koji Shiraishi

Barely known except to the most loyal of J-horror fans who stuck it out long after the cliches and cash-grab remakes have left everyone else jumping ship, Noroi is a nice entry into the found-footage sweepstakes. Presented as a documentary, the story follows paranormal investigator Masafumi Kobayashi as he looks into loosely-related occurrences revolving around a woman who hears eerie baby voices next door, a tv personality who has a traumatic breakdown while filming, and a group of schoolchildren undergoing psychic test evaluations. Though the low-budget is obvious at times, revelations are steady and keep the narrative zipping along. Maybe it's inevitable with this genre that similarities to the other more famous movies of this type will be present, but it's at least as much a takeoff of the "real life" ghost videos Japanese seem to love so much as it is a post-Blair Witch film. Worth catching if you want a Japanese spin on the genre.

66. 13 TZAMETI (2005) dir. Gela Babluani

I don't want to give anything away for those of you who haven't seen it, but it takes a disturbing but familiar premise (of which there have been many variations) and reinvigorates it with an elegantly simple, nail-bitingly suspenseful execution. It sucks you in with its mysterious, slow burn first act and then hits you with one of the tensest second acts you're likely to see. After that the ending is almost bound to be a slight letdown but it's hardly a significant blemish on this stellar thriller. If you haven't seen it and are interested, don't read anything else about it, just rent it and enjoy.

67. Alien Raiders

Since we've moving to the undiscovered gems part of the survey, may I recommend this tight little thriller, which plays like Carpenter doing an R rated X-Files epsiode. Wonderfully paced, and surely works about 1,157 times better than the recent Thing prequel...

68. End of the Line

An endlessly clever low-budget apocalypse yarn, EOTL is still my favorite "I saw it on a whim and couldn't believe how good it was" move of the 00s. Don't let me hype it for you; the acting is passable, but not stellar, and there's a certain TV-ness about it that's hard to shake... but if you can look past a few shortcomings, you'll have lots of fun with it. Forget the "Jaws on a Train" tagline - End of the Line is In the Mouth of Madness, but stuffed into a bottle. It's cool!

69. Slither (2006 - d. James Gunn)

"Feed the Fear"

70. Splinter (2008)

Nasty flick that plays on our fears of infection and disease, but also includes some crazy Thing inspired visuals.

Plus, it has Jill Wagner from Wipeout in it.

71. Hostel: Part II (2007)

In my books, Eli Roth's best movie. Definitely a step-up from the first Hostel with better direction and atmosphere. Giving the movie more of a eurohorror feel is a smart move by Roth. MVP is definitely Roger Bart as one of the businessmen. Still waiting for Roth's follow-up, which might take a while as this wasn't the success everyone was expecting it to be.

72. Cloverfield (2008 d. Matt Reeves)

What is there to say?  Yes, the characters are unlikable douchebags and yes, the film is way too slick to be an effective 'found footage' movie.  But if you can get past that, there's a lot to love.  The set pieces are thrilling and appropriately epic, chock full of damn near iconic imagery.  And say what you want about the creature design (I know many aren't crazy about it), but the way Reeves handles the big monster reveals is fantastic.

73.  Open Water (2003)   dir. Chris Kentis

Yes, this is a one-timer only, but what a one time!  They may have well just called this film "My Worst Fucking Nightmare."  Very effective bare-bones thriller and extremely potent nightmare fuel for those of us who are afraid of both sharks and being lost at sea.  Egad.  

74. Thirst (2009) d. Chan-wook Park

A decidedly different take on the vampire mythos, this one ranks right up there with LtROI. The film is filled with beautiful, stark imagery, dark humor, and lots and lots of the red stuff. Another winner from one of the best directors working today.