Horror Films

PhantomScreenwriter

PhantomScreenwriter

One of my favourite genres of film is horror. My first experience watching a horror film when I was at an age where I could properly comprehend what I was seeing was when I was around 11 or 12 years old and my friend and I hired A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984). This film scared the hell out of me, and it made it difficult for me to sleep, and I felt disgusted weeks after viewing it whenever I'd think of it - the impact upon me was great, and would ultimately be the first and last time a horror movie ever scared me.

There are many sub-genres that fall under the general heading of horror and while my first introduction was through a slasher film (with a supernatural bent) and I of course saw other slasher films like Halloween (1978) and the Friday the 13th series but as I got older I found myself drawn more to supernatural horror films about ghosts and other supernatural phenomena and entities, and while I still like seeing some of those slasher movies it's more the older ones, and not so much the more realistic ones such as Saw and Hostel.

What horror films are you drawn to and what was your first experience with the genre?
 
I remember having a huge jump in my horror viewing. I remember watching episodes of Are You Afraid of the Dark? and Goosebumps, then being forced to view Child's Play 2 courtesy of my awesome father at the age or like, 3 or 4.

Then we went to see Saw as a family when I was a youngster as well. I love my life.
 
I'm completely addicted to horror. It can be in any form from games, movies, comics, anime, even books. There's just something that draws me to it. I was a huge fan of Goosebumps and Are You Afraid of the Dark growing up as well! Another major series for me was The Twilight Zone (It wasn't horror but the way it would make you think- sometimes made me afraid.)

Trying to remember my first horror film that got under my skin- I'd say probably The Exorcist. Maybe it was because I was coming from a religious family, but the concept really stuck with me. Like a constant unease that lingered in the back of my mind as I kept telling myself it was just a movie.

Sadly, it's been hard for horror films to terrify me recently. I don't consider jump scares, frightening, they can make anybody jolt for a second if timed right. Maybe the problem comes from over exposure to certain plots, maybe it's the lack of creativity lately- I don't know. But I haven't seen every recent horror movie out there so I'm still hopeful!

Some of my favorites off the top:
À l'intérieur (Inside)
Martyrs
Rec (The original)
Dark Water
Tokyo Night (The japanese version of Paranormal Activity- the ending is why I like it)
1408
28 Days Later
 
I don't like horror films, they bore me. So do roller coasters.

When I was small though, I did have nightmares due to flat liners.
I dreamed I was that kid in the tree that was getting rocks thrown at him

the few i like as an adult.. wait until dark. cabin in the woods
 
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My parents were pretty strict about what movies I got to see. No R-rated films, usually. Etc.

They made the "mistake" of taking me to Damnation Alley when I was, like, seven. I was pretty freaked out by the cockroach scene.

The Entity (1982) spooked me pretty good.

I think the first time I saw The Omen put some spook in me too.

Alien, certainly.

Poltergeist had it's moments. It was just a good, entertaining film.

I don't think slashers ever seemed that scary, as much as masturbatory in a creepy, unpleasant way.

Though I guess the Nightmare on Elm Street was pretty scary, not to mention inventive.

The Exorcist was the crème de la crème. Very spooky, the scariest, at least back when I saw it.

Pumpkinhead was pretty seriously creepy when I first saw it. Clearly influenced by Alien's xenomorph.

The Blair Witch Project achieved some spookiness. But it wasn't so much while watching it, but afterwards because it stayed with me and my imagination for a little bit.

The last one that really spooked me, to the level that The Exorcist did, even more so, was Paranormal Activity. It made me jumpy. And it really made me I realize that I'm not so much a person who enjoys being spooked out. So now I try to avoid really spooky films. And yet at the same time I'm still curious to see them.
 
@JHar888

I found the first Saw to be the best (out of the first two I've seen that is, I haven't seen the others) mainly because it was a unique style, a horrific set up with people being forced to make difficult choices or die (or die trying), and of course the twist at the end.

But I think, from an outsider's perspective, that the Saw series has run it's course.

Have you seen Curse of Chucky? If not I'd recommend it because it returns to the more serious horror of the first film.

@themindvault

I'm really into the horror video games as well. Initially my favourite survival horror game was Resident Evil, and while I'm still a fan of the games I came to enjoy Silent Hill much more and so those games are on the top of my list. There was another pretty good survival horror game I played and that was The Suffering and it's sequel Suffering: Ties That Bind.

I've started watching The Twilight Zone and it's awesome. The episodes I've seen so far are really well executed. I'd like to buy the complete collection and have a marathon.

The Exorcist is a great movie. I had heard of it growing up and was told not to see it until I was at least eighteen years old because of the nature of it but I ended up seeing it when I was about sixteen and I wasn't scared by it but the book on the other hand, that's really effective at creeping you out. If you havent read it I'd recommend that for sure.

Yeah I agree about jump scares as well. They're only a momentary shock that is mostly overused and don't really have any lasting effect on you. Just like other genres if you're thinking about the movie long after you've viewed it then it's done it's job.

If you haven't seen it yet I'd recommend checking out Woman in Black starring Daniel Radcliffe, that was a really good supernatural horror film. It does have a few jump scares in it but it has a great and moody atmosphere, the whole tone of the film is bleak, and the fact it takes place in the past is a good way to make it stand out from other films of the same kind, which is why I think The Others is an effective film as well.

Out of the ones you've listed I've seen Dark Water (the Japanese version, if that's the one you mean), 1408 and 28 Days Later, I wasn't that impressed by Dark Water but I'd need to give it another try to see if my opinion changes on it. 1408 was a really good adaptation of the short story, which is a pretty decent read too, it's part of Stephen King's Everything's Eventual, and there's quite a few cool short stories in that compilation.

28 Days Later, which most people classify as a zombie film but I'd rather classify it as a horror/thriller/disease film, is a really good movie too. I haven't seen 28 Weeks Later yet though.

@sfoster

That's fair enough. What was it about Cabin in the Woods that caught your attention and made you want to watch it? I thought it had a good premise and how it addressed cliches of the genre, to act as manipulations made by the people working behind the scenes in the control centre.
 
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That's a good question, I wish I could remember what possessed me to watch it. It definitely wasn't the trailer, I rarely see trailers. And I didn't even realize it was thor playing the jock in that film lol.

Only options remaining are a recommendation by either netflix or a person.
 
@richy

I have parents who would watch horror movies when they rented them on VHS, and I was a toddler at the time so I couldn't even comprehend what I was seeing to be scared or to feel any kind of negative emotion. When I was a bit older than that though if they ever watched a horror movie they would make sure I wasn't in the room. The funny thing is though at the age of seven I was watching movies like Rambo: First Blood Part II, Cobra, Commando and Death Wish 3 whenever I'd stay at my grandmother's place, my uncle owned the movies, he had westerns as well like Shane that weren't violent films but the ones I would always watch were Rambo and Commando lol.

The movies you've listed are really good examples of the genre. I've not seen The Entity or Pumpkinhead though.

I re watched all the Nightmare on Elm St films recently and I still think the best ones are the first, third, fourth and seventh entries. However overall I'd still point to the first as the clear winner in my opinion.

The Exorcist is a film I'll have to watch again too, so many on that re-watch list I have at the back of my mind lol. I liked Blair Witch Project and think it was effective. I think though that has the advantage over other found footage movies that followed, Paranormal Activity included, because of the marketing done at the time which made it out that it was a true story and this was made even more possible by the infancy of the internet at that stage.

@sfoster

Lol yeah at the time of filming he hadn't done Thor yet and had only been in Star Trek (2009) in terms of films because he made his start on a soapie here in Australia called Home and Away, along with his brother Liam. But Cabin in the Woods had it's release delayed so by the time it came out Chris had already found his success in Hollywood.
 
@Phantom Screenwriter
I'm glad you found love for Silent hill. That's one of my all time favorite series since the first one came out. It changed my perspective on horror video games. Another game I'd suggest if you haven't played it already is Forbidden Siren. The first two are a little dated (still amazing but they're on PS2)the newer one is on PS3 called Siren: Blood Curse. It's like a silent hill with stealth in it. The same team that made Silent Hill made Siren. I haven't played The Suffering but I'll definitely have to check it out.

The Exorcist is a great movie. I had heard of it growing up and was told not to see it until I was at least eighteen years old because of the nature of it but I ended up seeing it when I was about sixteen and I wasn't scared by it but the book on the other hand, that's really effective at creeping you out. If you havent read it I'd recommend that for sure.
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Yeah my parent's told me about the movie The Exorcist- then told me I shouldn't watch it. I didn't see the point in that, it only tempted me to watch it more. The problem was I was a little too imaginative. I mean after The Sixth Sense, I thought I could see dead people too.

But I eventually got my hands on it- and it definitely freaked me out. I forgot about the book. That's a must read for me.

YES! The Others- how'd I forget about that. That was a great movie, because it led me in one direction before flipping things entirely. That's why I like The Twilight Zone so much. It's good to hear you enjoy it as well.

So I'm building a list of horror movies to watch. I'll add Woman in Black and see if it's on Netflix. I'll let you know what I think. Bleak, moody, horror movies are right up my alley.
 
I also love Silent Hill music. I have all of the music from the first four games. There's some previously unreleased music from Silent Hill 3 that I also have, and there's a few extra tracks with the Silent Hill 4: The Room that essentially make up a story about a man being haunted by ghosts, it has music and sound effects accompanying the audio of the man, who is speaking in Japanese, and even though I don't know what he's talking about it is still interesting to listen to.

I played a demo once of Forbidden Siren but never got around to buying it, although I do own the sequel but I actually haven't played it yet even after owning it for many years now, so I will have to play that one.

Cursed Mountain is another survival horror game that was interesting to play, it's for the Wii. Although I didn't like the ending, the tone and feel of the game, and the story leading up to the ending were really atmospheric and effective.

Even though I don't find the Exorcist film scary, I still enjoy seeing it and think it's a really great movie. Out of the sequels I only liked Exorcist III.

Yeah The Sixth Sense was another good one too. Bruce Willis is great in that role and really shows again how he's more than just an action actor. I liked his performance in Twelve Monkeys as well.

The Others did have a great story, and I agree that it leads you in one direction then flips things. I liked the mood of the film as well. Woman in Black has a similar feel in that respect too.

Another film I could suggest is Jacob's Ladder, a movie I was led to because of Silent Hill and finding out the games were partly inspired by that movie. It's more a psychological thriller but it's still a really good movie, and if you know your Silent Hill you'll notice a lot of references in the games from the movie. One of which is the jacket that Jacob wears which looks similar to James Sunderland's in Silent Hill 2.
 
Horror movies. Man, I don't even know when it began. Grew up with the classics (a distinct memory of watching Creature From The Black Lagoon when I was 5). Watched whatever I could growing up; was very much into Twilight Zone. Read Stephen King and Dean Koontz books as I could get them. In middle school I really got hooked. I had a friend; we would spend the night all summer long playing commodore 64 games and watching horror movies. Got into Robert Englund's Shadow Theater, through which I discovered Argento and Romero. In high school I was reading Fangoria, got way into Clive Barker and Lovecraft. Got into Phantasm and Evil Dead. Discovered Tombs of the Blind Dead and no-budget german splatter films. Gained an unhealthy appreciation for Legend of Hell House and the Wicker Man.

I too lean towards ghosts and supernatural horror, but I'll watch almost anything. I like a good suspenseful subtle film as much as a gorefest. High budget, low budget, no budget, I love 'em all! I'll second Jacob's Ladder too. That's a film I've watched more times than I can count!

I also like horror video games. The Suffering was good (made by the team who did Drakan, one of my all time favorite games. Not horror.) and I have a soft spot for Resident Evil and Alone In The Dark. I did enjoy Cursed Mountain, but it definitely suffered from trying too hard to use the Wii's controls. Silent Hill has ups and downs, but my favorite horror series is Fatal Frame (first 3 PS2, 4th Wii but import only, 5th coming out on WiiU). Intense games to say the least!
 
Glad to see there's a lot of Twilight Zone fans here! But yeah, Silent hill has some of the best music I've heard from a video game. Akira Yamaoka is a musical genius. I've never heard of Cursed Mountain before. That's probably because I don't have a Wii. My friend does though, so maybe I'll get to play it sometime. I can imagine it must be hard to play with the wii controller though.

Ah man Fatal frame is another great one! That game still scares me actually- the characters move so damn slow! I've only played the first two so far.

I remember seeing bits and pieces of Jacob's Ladder when I was younger. I didn't know Silent Hill was influenced by it though. I knew they took a little influence from Stephen King's The Mist. That's so cool they used Jacob's jacket for James. I'll have to watch it fully this time!
 
I'm usually not a fan of horror movies, especially a lot of low budget ones. Most of them just really aren't well written and do not have well developed characters. Once in a while their comes a good one, like Silence of the Lambs, The Excorcist, Carrie, Alien, The Last House on the Left, and The Descent.

In fact The Descent is probably the best horror movie I have seen, and is light years ahead of a lot of these other ones, especially ones of the past 10 years in my opinion.
 
“Silent Hill” is an awesome series. I’m even a fan of “Silent Hill 4”, which caught a lot of flak for not really fitting in to the Silent Hill Universe. Personally, I thought they did a great job of integrating it, especially as it wasn’t originally intended to be a Silent Hill game. Shame the films didn't do such a good job.

As for other horror video games, if you get chance (i.e. if you own an Xbox One, PS4 or a reasonably spec’d PC) check out “Outlast”. It’s probably the first horror game that I’ve found to be genuinely scary.


My first experience with horror in film was when I was about 5ish, my parents allowed me to watch “A Nightmare On Elm Street”. Not long after that I remember seeing “Halloween” and “Evil Dead”. I must’ve been about 10 when I saw “Friday the 13th Part 6: Jason Lives” on TV. It was my first “Friday…”, and after that, I had my parents rent them out for me, one after the other.

The film that really drove me into horror though, was probably “Scream”. I remember seeing the poster for “Scream 2” (so, must’ve been 1997, I’d have been 12) before I’d ever even heard of “Scream”. That same day, I spotted “Scream” on the shelf in a local supermarket. I had my mom rent it for me that night, then, as it had to be returned the next day, I had her buy it for me. That, pretty much, kick-started my obsession with horror.
 
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