Modern Horror Classics

[BioMechanic]

Since there's been a bit of back-and-forth around here recently (see the threads for TCM prequel, Hitcher & Descent), I thought it might be interesting, informative, and controversial to make a thread of what may or may not be considered modern horror classics.

To keep things brief, "modern" means nothing before 1960 - we can talk about Nosferatu and Hammer and the like in another thread, perhaps.

Here's Bio's Top Five - please comment/add your own/etc.

Psycho (1960): Hugely imitated and influential, this may very well be the first slasher film, and arguably the best. Hitchcock's shower scene is legendary.



Some notable influences: The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Halloween

Rosemary's Baby (1968): I don't think I've ever seen a film that creates slowly building tension like this. Despite the fact that we as the audience know that something's wrong, to experience Mia Farrow's gradual realization is one of the most unsettling revelations you can imagine, and it's handled masterfully by Roman Polanski. The scene when she finally sees her child, and realizes that her suspicions were real, is unforgettable.



Some notable influences: The Omen, The Exorcist, Angel Heart, The Ninth Gate

Alien (1979): Ridley Scott's body-horror masterpiece. Unbelievable atmosphere, great acting, and an incredible sense of dread and mystery, with very little gore. The creature itself is beautifully terrifying.



Some notable influences: Aliens, The Hidden

Night of the Living Dead (1968): The source of the zombie craze. Personally, I think Romero topped himself with Dawn of the Dead, but that film wouldn't have existed without this.



Some notable influences: Dawn of the Dead, 28 Days Later

The Shining (1980): The best ghost story I've ever seen, with one of the most foreboding settings imaginable. Jack Nicholson made a career out of Kubrick's unnerving work of genius.



Notable influences: None.

Some other personal favorites:

The Thing (1982): This is how to do a remake.

The Fly (1986): This is how to do a remake pt II. IMO, some of the best makeup that's ever been created.

Jacob's Ladder (1990): Adrian Lyne captured the most effective vision of Hell I will probably ever see. A classic of psychological horror that is one of my favorite all-time films.

In the Mouth of Madness (1995): The best Lovecraft film to date, despite not being directly influenced by any single work.

The Descent (2005): One of the few recent horror films that taps deeply into classic themes while keeping them fresh.

[gir]

Suspiria (1977)

i remember seeing in some interviews other horror directors saying it's the scariest movie they ever saw. i think. or maybe it was someone in a goth band :/

actually, it's probably both. anyway, i don't think any discussion of modern horror movies is complete without mentioning Suspiria. it's one of the best i've seen, with amazing use of suspense and great camera work.

really amazing use of suspense.

[Scourge]

The Exorcist (1973)



Poltergeist (1981)



Carrie (1976)

[Dolemite]

The Thing is the best horror/sci-fi movie ever. It's brilliant.

Suspiria would be a completely worthless if it wasn't for the amazingly creepy Goblin soundtrack. Charlotte's Web would be horrifying with that soundtrack playing.

Anyway, the only good part of Suspiria is the first kill. After that, the movie just turns to total crap.

Poltergeist completely freaked me out as a kid. It's still pretty effective as a horror movie, but shit like the tree trying to eat the kid comes across as kinda silly now.

The Exorcist is unbelievably great. Actually, I was in Georgetown recently where it was filmed and visited the house and the infamous stairway that the priest takes a header down at the end of the movie. It was cool seeing that stuff in person. I'll post a pic tomorrow if I remember.

[Advocate]

Not until recently could I watch The Thing all the way through. That shit is still fucking scary.

Yeah Poltergeist was scary as hell back when I was a kid.

Carrie was creepy.

What about Christine.



or the Original

[Dolemite]

That decap with the glass in The Omen cracked me the fuck up the first time I saw it.

[voltz]

I put my word up for Nightmare on Elm Street. Freddy was one real scary mofo when he wasn't trying to be a comedian with one-liners or pulling that "I'm gonna get you with what you fear most" crap.

[Advocate]

Which was most of his movies.

[voltz]

Which was most of his movies.

Well the problem is that every sequel he just milks it more and more till the point it becomes somewhere between a kiddie and teen-horror flick. Only the first one stands out and that's all you really need.

[Rumpy]

Freddy was a monster in the first film and in the later movies he turned into an anti-hero. The direction in Nightmare is really good, it's really Wes Craven in his prime. I think a new flick brought back to it's basics could be really successful. Seeing Jason vs Freddy in theaters, he can still scare people. They just need to keep the character in check.

I thought High Tension was a fantastic movie, the ending just fucking ruins it. A remake would just need to shoot a new ending.