CHUD.com Community › Forums › CREATURE CORNER › Creature Corner Main › Horror film of the year '04
New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:

Horror film of the year '04

post #1 of 41
12/23/04 at 7:29pm
Thread Starter 
While nowhere near as good as '03, '04 had a few good ones. What was your favorite film, runner up and why?

Not only was '04 much weaker than '03 it is also the year we had to sit and watch as the Creature Corner we once loved and visited on a daily basis get turned into what is arguably the worst horror site on the net but I digress.
Reply
post #2 of 41
12/23/04 at 7:53pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Floydian_Trip
it is also the year we had to sit and watch as the Creature Corner we once loved and visited on a daily basis get turned into what is arguably the worst horror site on the net but I digress.
This will change in '05. I hear your plea.
Reply
post #3 of 41
12/24/04 at 1:42am
Hey Floyd, haven't seen ya around here in awhile ...

Although it was made eariler, I think the Dec 17th 2004 theater release of TALE OF TWO SISTERS makes it ok to mention here ........

And quite honestly, it would have topped my list had it been made in any of the previous 20 or so years ..... It is a beautifully shot film that not only is disturbing and frightening, it also makes you want to cry at the end ...... It has something so lacking in horror : saddness ......

Now, I didn't see Uncle Dario's THE CARD PLAYER ( or Card Dealer, I can't remember which it is ) , but I doubt it would have surpassed TOTS ......

BIG FISH isn't horror, but still deserves a mention for it's surreal / fantasy vibe ... It was a very good film
Reply
post #4 of 41
12/24/04 at 1:48am
... and I'm hoping Dante Tomaselli's SATAN'S PLAYGROUND sees the light of day soon ... this was a film that I had hoped would have been out this past autumn ...
Reply
post #5 of 41
12/24/04 at 12:49pm
Haute Tension (aka Switchblade Romance):
It´s a shame that the film totally ripped off Dean Koontz´ book Intensity, but it makes up for it´s awesome splatter scenes!

Shaun of the Dead:
Much better than the Dawn remake(which was more of a action film rather than horror).The best Brittish zombie film since Let Sleeping Corpses Lie.Cor Blimey!

Hellboy:
Not as good as i had hoped, yet still better than the average comic adaptions.Ron Perlman is perfect as the horned Hellboy.
Reply
post #6 of 41
12/24/04 at 4:48pm
My favorite horror flick was hands down the remake of Dawn of the Dead. Sure it is not the original, but it was a damn fun, exciting scary time. Really nothing I did not like about it.

Runner up is that other little zombie movie Shaun of the Dead. All horror comedies should be that good.
Reply
post #7 of 41
12/25/04 at 12:01am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Randolph Carter
Haute Tension (aka Switchblade Romance):
It´s a shame that the film totally ripped off Dean Koontz´ book Intensity
Die. Seriously.

Shaun of the Dead was the best by far this year, while my personal favorites also included Haute Tension and The Last Horror Movie (I saw it in a theater, so that definitely heightened the experience).
Reply
post #8 of 41
12/25/04 at 7:20am
I agree with you Floydian. 2004 was very weak and I can't wait to see the Creature Corner's new 2005 look!

My favorite: Shaun of the Dead. This film was just a ton of fun. I think I enjoyed more than any other horror/comedy I've ever seen.

Runner up: Open Water. I love small budget, indie horror movies and this one was awesome. It was very nicely directed and it was very tense.
Reply
post #9 of 41
12/25/04 at 6:54pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by RegVelJohnson
Die. Seriously.

Shaun of the Dead was the best by far this year, while my personal favorites also included Haute Tension and The Last Horror Movie (I saw it in a theater, so that definitely heightened the experience).


Haute Tension IS a ripoff, read the book and you´ll notice it.The only thing that´s different is the ending.
Reply
post #10 of 41
12/27/04 at 11:08am
Thread Starter 
Now that I've finally seen it I can say that Shaun of the Dead is my favorite of the year. Excellent, funny dialogue with great situational humour and to my surprise some excellent gore.

My runner up is King of the Ants with nods to Dawn of the Dead '04 and TCM '04 for keeping it dark when they could have gone the 90210 route.
Reply
post #11 of 41
12/27/04 at 4:46pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Nick Nunziata
This will change in '05. I hear your plea.
Thank you!
Reply
post #12 of 41
12/27/04 at 6:54pm
Shaun of the Dead. No question.
Reply
post #13 of 41
12/28/04 at 2:06am
Shaun of the Dead. 'Nuff said.


Others I enjoyed:
Hellboy (very enjoyable, looking forward to number 2)
Saw (while not as original as some claim, still pretty fun)
The Grudge (provided me with a new sound to mimic to scare the crap out of my brother)
Dawn of the Dead (though nowhere near the original, still a bit of fun)

and

Puppet Master vs. Demonic Toys

Now before I am attacked viciously, know this..................when I watched it I was drunk and with a bunch of my best friends.........and we laughed our asses off.
Reply
post #14 of 41
12/28/04 at 3:55pm
Favorite: Dawn of the Dead 2004. The original Dawn is my all time favorite movie, but I really enjoyed this one, too. I'm glad it wasn't an attempt at re-creating the original, and was rather only inspired by Romero's masterpiece.

Very close runner up: Shaun of the Dead. This was just a great movie! I never like humor mixed with horror before, but they did it perfectly in this movie.
Reply
post #15 of 41
12/29/04 at 12:06am
Oldboy (okay, not really horror, but bloody hell!)
Shaun of the Dead
One Missed Call (yeah, it's over-familiar, but great fun)
Haute Tension
A Tale of Two Sisters (okay, saw it last year, but it's already been mentioned)
Reply
post #16 of 41
1/1/05 at 1:10pm
I second that "Thank you" regarding Nick's promise that CC05 will improve. Though I'm an infrequent poster I've grown fond of this site, and its recent decline has been disheartening.

I also found 2005 to be rather disappointing horror-wise, but because my wife isn't a horror fan I don't get the opportunities to view scary flicks that I once did. Still, I found the Dawn of the Dead remake to be worthwhile for the fantastic opening and closing sequences bracketing an okay middle. Still, it's so inferior to the original.

Although I didn't see The Grudge, I finally saw Ju-On, and was creeped out to my satisfaction.

One of my problems is that I don't go to the movies enough, so the films I finally watch on DVD are technically films from 2003. Some great films have been Ginger Snaps 2 and the truly excellent May, but I think they count as 2003 flicks.

From what I hear, Shaun of the Dead tops almost everyone's list. I haven't seen it yet (shame on me), but my brother-in-law gave it to me as a Christmas gift and I'll probably be watching it tonight.

Happy New Year everyone!
Reply
post #17 of 41
1/2/05 at 12:32am
I´d like to add Saw to my list.Really good and creepy film.I really can´t understand all the hate the film is getting, it´s not that awful, is it?!
Reply
post #18 of 41
1/2/05 at 6:11am
No, Saw wasn't "awful", but it very...contrived. And as such, introduced a lot of far-fetched concepts that I think made it impossible for a lot of people to suspend their disbelief. Some wobbly dialogue and acting didn't help, neither did some film school directing touches.

Personally, I enjoyed it as a light piece of entertainment, but don't really have any great desire to watch it again. Wouldn't put it in any "worst of the year" lists, but also wouldn't let it near any "best of the year" lists.

And come on, you have to admit you had at least a *little* giggle when the dummy came out on the tricycle!
Reply
post #19 of 41
1/2/05 at 8:00am
Quote:
And come on, you have to admit you had at least a *little* giggle when the dummy came out on the tricycle!
Yes, it was funny, and creepy.Kinda reminded me of a similar scene in Argento´s Profondo Rosso.(aka Deep Red)

Quote:
No, Saw wasn't "awful", but it very...contrived. And as such, introduced a lot of far-fetched concepts that I think made it impossible for a lot of people to suspend their disbelief. Some wobbly dialogue and acting didn't help, neither did some film school directing touches.

Personally, I enjoyed it as a light piece of entertainment, but don't really have any great desire to watch it again. Wouldn't put it in any "worst of the year" lists, but also wouldn't let it near any "best of the year" lists.
People say the film had plenty of plotholes and mediocer acting, to be honest i didn´t really notice any of that when i saw the film, maybe i´ll pay better attention when i see the film the second time.One of the resons i liked the film is that it was so much better than all the crappy Seven and Silence of the Lambs clones we´ve gotten the last 10 years.
Reply
post #20 of 41
1/3/05 at 11:53am
Best of 2004: Shaun of the Dead. A wonderful horror/comedy. I love zombies and British comedy, and this film was spot on in both areas.

Runner-Up: Hellboy. This movie somehow reminds me of my childhood, though I can't really figure out why. I loved every minute of it.


Special Award: Dawn of the Dead. Why? Because it is basically the main reason that a lot of us will be sitting in a theater this October, watching Romero's Land of the Dead. Without the financial success of this film (as well as 28 Days Later & Resident Evil), we'd still be sitting here forever speculating as to when or if Romero would ever get to make his 4th dead film. That and it also gave us a stellar DVD of the original.
Reply
post #21 of 41
1/3/05 at 2:29pm
Its between King Of The Ants and Dawn Of The Dead [remake].
Reply
post #22 of 41
1/3/05 at 5:13pm
I saw Saw. And it was great.
Reply
post #23 of 41
1/3/05 at 7:41pm
I just realized that I've answered this one twice. Lack of sleep is funny.
Reply
post #24 of 41
1/3/05 at 9:48pm
I'd also have to say Shaun of the Dead....and I can't wait to see the new look of the corner...I left once Butane and Rotten left..
Reply
post #25 of 41
1/4/05 at 2:15pm
Dawn of the Dead remake
Reply
post #26 of 41
1/4/05 at 2:24pm
I have to say on the DAWN remake... I enjoyed it as brainless zombie action, but it had no business being called DAWN OF THE DEAD... like TCM, it's trading on the popularity of an established revered brand, and hasn't paid justice to that brand at all. But for an emptyheaded action/horror, it was a laugh.
Reply
post #27 of 41
1/4/05 at 2:40pm
Romero's consumerist satire is a "brand" now?
Reply
post #28 of 41
1/4/05 at 2:46pm
Not his satire, but more the name. DAWN OF THE DEAD is essentially a brand, which is widely known because it's a great movie. It's like STAR WARS, or THE LORD OF THE RINGS, or THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE. At the time it was coming out, I knew a lot of people who wanted to see DAWN because of its heritage, yet had not seen its predessor and had no real idea about what it was really like. But they knew the name.
Reply
post #29 of 41
1/4/05 at 11:51pm
Thread Starter 
I completely disagree Charles. I think the remake has every right to be called Dawn of the Dead and does indeed live up to its namesake and also has a right to be in this thread. If it wasn't called Dawn of the Dead then we'd have to sit and listen to everyone bitch and moan that it was a rip off.
Reply
post #30 of 41
1/5/05 at 12:01am
That's the thing though - many horror fans are easily satisfied. I don't think it deserves the name simply because it is a cash in. Aside from the fact that it has zombies and a mall, it's completely devoid of the factors that made the original so special. And I know a lot of people who still don't like it, A: because it isn't a great film, and B: because of the reasons above. It's a decent popcorn flick, but it would have been much more liked if Universal had called it something like ZOMBIE DEATH as opposed to DAWN OF THE DEAD. Especially with everything the original DAWN brought to the table. ZOMBIE DEATH is calling it what it is - a big cheesy popcorn zombie action flick with no pretentions about what it wants to achieve. But giving it the same name as one of the most intelligent and thought-provoking flicks in movie history and delivering nothing but dumb zombie thrills, that just ain't right. It's like making STAR WARS and calling it 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY.

I'm not arguing against your right to like the film, just bringing my opinion across.
Reply
post #31 of 41
1/5/05 at 12:13am
Thread Starter 
I respect your opinion but feel you're not giving it enough credit that's all. It's more than a popcorn flick. Anacondas: Hunt for the Blood Orchid was a dumb popcorn flick. Frankenfish was a popcorn flick. DotD '04 is a quality horror film that, yes they spent alot of money on but it didn't disappoint. Well at least it didn't disappoint me. It could have been horrible. They could have made a cheap ass, stupid movie like say House of the Dead and then yes I would agree that it was a cash in. In this case though the creators actually gave a shit and wanted to make the best movie they could and I feel they did just that.

I also think you're giving the original a little too much credit. It's not quite as intelligent as you make it out to be. Yeah it's making a social commentary and all that but at the end of the day it's just a zombie flick and imo the least enjoyabvle of the three. That's not to say I don't love it because I do I'd just rather watch Day or Night instead. Same thing goes for the TCM remake. They could have and probably should have, going by the norm for Hollywood, made a really cheap ass, shitty movie but instead did their absolute best and made something beautiful.

I understand we all have our opinions and I'm not trying to take anything away from you. It's just that I feel people will try and find anything wrong with these two movies they can just so they can keep arguing that remakes suck. The fact is there have been more great remakes and ones that are universally loved like The Thing or The Magnificient Seven than there's been bad ones. To remakes I say keep making them dammit cause god knows there's always a Uwe Boll out there trying to make something, cough, otiginal, cough.
Reply
post #32 of 41
1/5/05 at 12:57am
Thread Starter 
How do you rate the Night of the Living Dead remake? I think it's pretty damn good.
Reply
post #33 of 41
1/5/05 at 6:03am
Because the situation calls for it, I feel compelled to bring up INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS for a few reasons .... First, is to call attention to a remake ( that would be the 78 version ) that rivals the original .....

HOWEVER


I must say that the glaring majority of remakes in the horror genre come across ( disappointly so ) as "pod-films" when seen : in other words, the story is similar, the tone and plot are there, but there is something missing ... and for me, it is the most important something .......... it is a spirit, a purpose and sincerity .........

Certainly, there are remakes that will rival, even surpass, the originals in terms of quality and effect : SCARFACE and THE THING are the first to come to mind ... In fact, SCARFACE ( the 83 version ) is one of my favorite films ............ but for every example of a great remake, there is the MANCHURIAN CANDIDATE or PSYCHO that just make you think "Fuck this" ....

For me, the remake of DAWN was the cinematic equivelent of coming home and finding your spouse has been replaced with a more technically efficent, but souless and loveless mannequin ....... ( actually, that sounds like a cool plot ) .....



Anyways, back to the topic at hand

Was LIVING HELL from 2004 ??? ... probably not, but I'll mention it here 'cause it's worth mentioning ...
Reply
post #34 of 41
1/6/05 at 12:46am
Thread Starter 
But don't you just love the gore Elmie? I think they did a real nice job with it.

Oh and isn't your plot The Stepford Wives? The original, of course. Except they weren't loveless.
Reply
post #35 of 41
1/6/05 at 12:54am
Thread Starter 
Had the DofD remake been released in '03 I doubt I'd be defending it so much. The fact is though I was horror deprived in '04 so everything automatically gets bumped up a notch to make up for it. Including the aforementioned Anacondas. I'd rather watch it than The Village or Van Helsing.
Reply
post #36 of 41
1/6/05 at 7:43am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Floydian_Trip
But don't you just love the gore Elmie? I think they did a real nice job with it.

Oh and isn't your plot The Stepford Wives? The original, of course. Except they weren't loveless.

Yes, yes, yes, I do enjoy the gore

But in the DAWN remake, there wasn't enough of the zombie/comsumption/disturbing type gore ..... I rented the DVD, and there is some nice added gore in the home version, but still, it doesn't make me feel that great sickening and disturbed feeling I get with something like a Romero or Fulci zombie film .... In Fulci's ZOMBIE , when the 4 survivors go to Dr Mayanrd's home and find his wife being slowly comsumed, I feel as if we the viewer have been taken into some horrible insane asylum and are witness to an actual crime .... it's awful, but somehow, it is enjoyable ......

I just never got past the feeling with the new DAWN that I was just seeing acting and special effects and props .... and that not a bad thing, but it just failed to terrorize or disturb me in the way an epidemic of that nature should ......

I enjoyed the new DAWN enough to rent it after seeing it in the theater, but it just didn't capture "it" for me .......







Maybe I came across too hard on remakes, 'cause this definitely did do it for me:



Reply
post #37 of 41
1/6/05 at 11:03am
Thread Starter 
One of my favorite films as well.
Reply
post #38 of 41
1/6/05 at 12:52pm
Here's my favorite and runners up of 2004:

1. Shaun of the Dead - 10/10 Superb comedy/horror homage to George Romero's zombie movies. This movie felt more like a zombie movie than the DOTD remake to me. Loved the characters, the dialogue, and the gorey FX!

2. Saw - 8/10 Great premise jilted by over-the-top performances. A great and very original and could've been better perhaps with different casting.

3. King of the Ants - 8/10 A fucking brilliantly twisted and sadistic movie that had some great performances. The script is solid and goes place that you'd never expect it to. Refreshing dose of disturbing horror in an era of PG-13 wankfests.

4. Dawn of the Dead - 7/10 I really liked this film on a visceral action level, though IMO it was never truly scary. The zombies are menacing but the living are lacking. Could've been better with less focus on the supporting characters and lots more Ving!

5. Open Water - 7/10 The movie takes awhile to get going. It takes a lot of time to establish its characters and premise. But once it gets going a genuine feeling of dread pervades it throughout. Really dug the anti-Hollywood ending!


On my list to see: The Grudge, Haute-Tension, The Machinist, A Tale of Two Sisters
Reply
post #39 of 41
1/6/05 at 7:32pm
Shaun of the Dead is definitly the horror film of the year

honorable mentions

King of the Ants
Dawn of the Dead '04
Reply
post #40 of 41
1/6/05 at 11:50pm

Dawn '04 (some minor spoilers)

Dawn of the Dead '04

It taught me to keep my fucking mouth shut when I hear about a remake of a classic movie. Back when the news was released of a Dawn remake, I came down on the side of those who didn't want to have anything to do with it. I felt it was unnecessary and showed Hollywood's lack of originality. I still think H'wood has light years to go to improve, Dawn '04 maintained a very health respect for the source work.

Examples ****SPOILERS****









The little girl. The woman being attacked in the back of the vehicle. The overwhelming mayhem as Sarah Polley walked out her front door. The attack during the closing credits. Andy.

All pretty creepy stuff.

And someone was right when they said that if it had been named something else it would have been shredded for being a "ripoff" of the original.
Reply
post #41 of 41
1/7/05 at 6:58pm
I have to agree with all the people who are saying Shaun of the Dead. One of the most entertaining movies in a long time. It actually lived up to all the hype.

I was most disapointed with Saw which I thought absolutley blew. It just seemed like it was trying so hard to be disturing like Se7en was but the acting and script were just so awful.
Reply
New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:
  Return Home
  Back to Forum: Creature Corner Main
CHUD.com Community › Forums › CREATURE CORNER › Creature Corner Main › Horror film of the year '04