Given Patrick's penchant for horror films, I was wondering if anybody could recommend some good, possibly classic, horror films. I like the Alien series and Friday the 13th (lol), but Ive never really been into more serious horror. Specifically I was looking for something creepy, as jump-scares seem kinda cheap, but on the other hand thats kinda the point of horror to some degree right?
Horror Movies
Well, if you haven't seen Dawn of the Dead (the original and the remake) I say do it. Both are great movies. The Hammer horror stuff is pretty awesome, especially the Dracula movies. Despite what others say, The Satanic Rites of Dracula is a whole lotta fun and probably my favorite. If you want something much more serious and dark, Martyrs and A Tale of Two Sisters are really good. Though Martyrs is beyond fucked up, so if you have any semblance of a weak stomach don't watch it.
Speaking of foreign movies, watch The Chaser (2008 Korean thriller). It's not specifically horror, but it's fantastic and everyone should watch it.
@mariachimacabre said:
The Thing (1982) is fantastic and disgusting. The Evil Dead movies are great campy horror too.
Yeppers, The Thing is one of my favorite movies of all time. Evil Dead 2 is especially amazing, but Army of Darkness and the first one are pretty good as well. The effects (clay?) at the end of the first movie still creep me the fuck out.
edit: oh, and Pontypool. Motherfuckin' Pontypool.
Well, if you haven't seen Dawn of the Dead (the original and the remake) I say do it. Both are great movies. The Hammer horror stuff is pretty awesome, especially the Dracula movies. Despite what others say, The Satanic Rites of Dracula is a whole lotta fun and probably my favorite. If you want something much more serious and dark, Martyrs and A Tale of Two Sisters are really good. Though Martyrs is beyond fucked up, so if you have any semblance of a weak stomach don't watch it.
Speaking of foreign movies, watch The Chaser (2008 Korean thriller). It's not specifically horror, but it's fantastic and everyone should watch it.
@mariachimacabre said:
The Thing (1982) is fantastic and disgusting. The Evil Dead movies are great campy horror too.
Yeppers, The Thing is one of my favorite movies of all time. Evil Dead 2 is especially amazing, but Army of Darkness and the first one are pretty good as well. The effects (clay?) at the end of the first movie still creep me the fuck out.
Oh yeah! and the new Evil Dead out on April 5th looks really good too. Not campy, just pure horror. Word from SXSW was really positive so maybe see that in theaters as well, OP.
Favorite oldschool horror is The Thing. For modern stuff I would recommend Swedish vampire movie Let The Right One In. Very subdued, very creepy - but also kinda cute??? All in all an interesting experience.
Other horror films I'm a fan of:
- AUDITION, Japanese film (okay don't actually do this)
- Romero's LIVING DEAD TRILOGY
- THE OMEN
- ROSEMARY'S BABY
- FUNNY GAMES, German version (...........actually maybe don't watch this either)
- THE EXORCIST
- AN AMERICAN WEREWOLF IN LONDON
- AUDITION, Japanese film (okay don't actually do this)
- Romero's LIVING DEAD TRILOGY
- THE OMEN
- ROSEMARY'S BABY
- FUNNY GAMES, German version (...........actually maybe don't watch this either)
- THE EXORCIST
- AN AMERICAN WEREWOLF IN LONDON
ANother great list. The reason I didn't mention them is that to me when talking about great horror movies those ones are kinda "goes without saying."
Sometimes I tend to forget that not everyone are horror fans.
Also, besides the ones already suggested, here's a few more bulletpoints:
- The Descent
- Pulse (Japanese version)
- The Ring (You're good with either version I think)
- REC
- The Fly (Cronenberg remake; must see!)
- Creepshow
- Trick 'r Treat (must see)
- Session 9
- Feast (fun little monster movie with a lot of great humour weaved in)
- Misery (another must see)
- The Scream trilogy
- Hellraiser
- Eden Lake (more thriller than horror movie perhaps, but... whatever, give it a watch anywhoo :P Fucking grim as Hell, though.)
- Triangle (not really all that scary, but it's got a great story and a surprisingly strong lead performance that ties it all together)
- Paranormal Activity
- Blair Witch Project
Tons of really good recommendations in this thread, but I wanna agree with this one specifically. It fits into the "thriller" genre, probably, but The Chaser is legitimately one of the most disturbing movies I've ever seen (i'll never look at a chisel the same way again) and in terms of how much some scenes'll make you squirm it puts most of the horror movies I've seen to shame. Good shit.
If we're going for the disturbing recommendations, I'd say check out The Pouhkeepsie Tapes. The entire thing has been uploaded onto Youtube so finding it isn't a hassle but man...that movie was really unsettling. It's about a serial killer who documents all his abductions and murders on tape so the movie is split between footage from the killers point of view and interview footage with police/investigators.
The movie kicks things off with a child abduction, "thankfully" it's not graphic since the camera moves off to side due to the running and moving but it hits hard. A lot of scenes are hard to watch, victims begging for their lives and bodies twitching from stab wounds take center stage fairly often. The acting is fantastic, everyone is portrayed as a real human being and the killer is especially well portrayed. If you're looking for a disturbing experience I recommend it,I had to watch a string of cheery and colorful videos afterwards to shake the impact of the movie.
Another, really strange but good one is Pontypool. It's very non-traditional horror for the most part but I really liked it a lot.
@mariachimacabre said:
Another, really strange but good one is Pontypool. It's very non-traditional horror for the most part but I really liked it a lot.
How I forgot this I will never know. Watched it after Patrick's list on WR, and I was surprised how much I liked it. Gonna have to recommend this one too.
Wow thats quite the list! Ill have to start sloughing through them lol.
Also I forgot to mention, but Ive seen the Thing (I <3 Kurt Russel, but as a piece of Horror its sort of dated. I love that movie for its plot, but its scares are too heavily based off of its puppets, which now look dated IMO) and the Evil Dead (does that even count as horror lol? The dudes got a chainsaw for an arm.)
Grave Encounters, Sinister (not great, but worth checking out), The Shining, Blair Witch Project, A Tale of Two Sisters, Audition, Uzimaki, The Evil Dead Trilogy, The Haunting (NOT the shitty remake), Hause, Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?, anything with Vincent Price, The Host, Dark Skies.
The Shining is essential out of all of them. It is Kubrick after all.
- I Spit on Your Grave.
- The Last House on the Left.
- Menhunter (The better version of Red Dragon)
- Cannibal Holocaust.
- Suspiria.
- Altered State.
- Videodrome.
- Videodrome.
- Videodrome.
- Videodrome.
- Videodrome.
- Serpent and the Rainbow.
- Angel Heart.
- Pretty much every Vincent Price movie.
I'll just stop here.
I love you.
- I Spit on Your Grave.
- The Last House on the Left.
- Menhunter (The better version of Red Dragon)
- Cannibal Holocaust.
- Suspiria.
- Altered State.
- Videodrome.
- Videodrome.
- Videodrome.
- Videodrome.
- Videodrome.
- Serpent and the Rainbow.
- Angel Heart.
- Pretty much every Vincent Price movie.
I'll just stop here.
I love you.
Thanks. I love you too.
- Pulse (Japanese version)
Yes, never ever, ever watch the american one
Another, really strange but good one is Pontypool. It's very non-traditional horror for the most part but I really liked it a lot.
I loved that film, I have watched the post-credits scene a thousand times..
Suicide Club is an odd creepy film
- Universal classic monster movies (Dracula, Frankenstein, Wolf Man etc.)
- The Exorcist
- The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974)
- Braindead (aka Dead Alive)
- Black Christmas (1974)
- Bay of Blood
- John Carpenter's Halloween
- Evil Dead Trilogy
- Romero Dead movies (Night, Dawn, Day)
- Poltergeist
- The Howling
- Suspiria
- Cannibal Holocaust
- Psycho (1960)
- Re-Animator
- Maniac
Now I want to watch some of these movies again.
Classic horror films that are must-see (check out the directors too for their other films):
The Thing (Carpenter)
The Shining (Kubrick)
Rosemary's Baby (Polanski)
The Fly (Cronenberg)
Aside from a lot that have been mentioned...
Session 9
Not super violent or anything. Just has a very creepy atmosphere.
And recently I was thinking about this movie... but it's more for if you are a fan of horror movies because it sort of pokes fun of them while being one itself.
Behind the Mask The Rise of Leslie Vernon
Man, you guys delivered and delivered well. Pretty much everything I was going to suggest.
All I can add off the top of my head is Black Swan. It's not traditional horror, more surreal drama with some body horror (don't watch it if you have a hangnail... fucking fuck...), but damned if my nerves weren't frayed throughout 90% of it.
Oh! See Inside (À l'intérieur) as well. Probably the best "home invasion" movie I've ever seen. France has been putting out some excellent horror.
If I can really stretch the word "horror", almost anything by David Lynch will leave you deeply unsettled. Start with Eraserhead, and if it wins you over, just go from there.
Some strong recommendations, here.
- Dog Soldiers (my number 3 werewolf movie behind AWIL and Howling)
- Dance of the Dead (light hearted zombie flick that's pretty fun)
- Cabin Fever 1 and 2 (2 is especially fun if you like gore)
- the Maniac Cop films are stupid, cheesy fun
That's all I can think that haven't been mentioned.
- FUNNY GAMES, German version (...........actually maybe don't watch this either)
I think the American version of Funny Games was better but either one is great.
Tucker and Dale vs Evil isn't horror but is great anyway.
El espinazo del diablo is a del Toro classic.
House of The Devil, while fairly recent, is a fantastic throwback to cult horror films of the 70s so give that a watch!
I too would have to recommend this. And it's on Netflix Instant if you have that.
Other than that:
- The Descent
- Dawn of the Dead (1979)
- The Thing (1982)
- Cabin in the Woods (after you've watched other horror flicks, it pokes fun at horror tropes)
- Evil Dead series including Army of Darkness
- The Shining
- Blair Witch Project
- Scream series
- Night of the Creeps
- Let Me In (or the original Swedish film, Let The Right One In)
That should hold you over for a while
Horror 101. also, Eyes Without a Face (1960) and Jodorowsky films. while all these recommendations are good (especially Cannibal Holocaust),
i ask that you watch The Human Centipede, and tell me the impenetrable doctor (Dieter Laser) does not give you the creepy creeps. Evil exists, my friends, and i have seen it on a leathery, German face. i average about eight horror/thriller movies and books per week, and the single thing that has succeeded in unsettling me in all this has been the doctor-- because my body won't believe he is acting.
Requiem For a Dream had me tossing and turning in bed...
someone said Re-Animator, but seeing mr. Jeffrey Combs in any movie now makes me giggle. if you want the comic horror, Shaun of the Dead is supreme.

http://www.giantbomb.com/profile/fattony12000/blog/fatbomb-october-edition/97141/
Spooky Scoops
Some slightly alternative scary stuff that you might not have heard about before, but should watch anyway! Because I’m telling you too! Whoooooooooo!
Monstrous movies and TV terrors
Noroi is a fantastic horror movie.
i am telling you duder
this shit right here
You need to see Scream. Probably need to watch that entire series 2-3 times to really appreciate all the little things in it. If you have a tolerance for older horror movies, check out the original Texas Chainsaw Massacre. I saw a bunch of folks recommend I Spit on Your Grave. Not really a horror movie in the traditional sense, but it's great.
The Woman in Black
Drag me to Hell
Xtro
Marble Hornets
Paranorman
Aside from a lot that have been mentioned...
Session 9
Not super violent or anything. Just has a very creepy atmosphere.
And recently I was thinking about this movie... but it's more for if you are a fan of horror movies because it sort of pokes fun of them while being one itself.
Behind the Mask The Rise of Leslie Vernon
What this dude said, too. Behind the Mask is awesome.
Evil Dead (does that even count as horror lol? The dudes got a chainsaw for an arm.)
Seems like you're talking about the second or third one, but the original one is pretty damn good. Especially since the remake is coming out pretty soon.
This thread needs more people telling you to watch The Shining. So watch The Shining. Other than that some that jump to mind are:
- The Orphanage (if that counts, it starts off horrory but then it takes a turn for the more... depressing)
- The Descent
- The Devil's Backbone (again, if that counts)
- 28 Days Later (I liked 28 Weeks Later too, but it's more of an action movie)
- The Mist
- 1408 (I apparently liked it but I don't remember a damn thing about it)
- Thirst (vampire movie by Chan-wook Park, who did Oldboy, again I don't remember much about it)
- Pandorum was alright...
Also does Tucker and Dale vs. Evil and of course The Cabin in the Woods for funsies.
As someone who watches lots of horror films, there's plenty here I agree with that are good.
Here are a few others:
- original two Texas Chainsaw Massacre films from the 1970s-80s.
- Dagon
- Wicker Man(original 1970s)
- In the Mouth of Madness
- Event Horizon
- Re-Animator
- Call of Cthulhu
- Phantasm
- the Haunting (original from the 1960s)
- Tourist Trap
- Ginger Snaps Back (aka 3rd one)
- Dead & Buried
- Killer Klowns from Outer Space
- original Frankenstein & Bride of Frankenstein
- Masque of the Red Death & Tomb of Ligeia & Dr. Phibes (with Vincent Price),
- 1408 (I apparently liked it but I don't remember a damn thing about it)
I also really liked that movie and yet there's so very little that I can remember about it. I do remember that I would sometimes get that mixed up with Identity... Not exactly painting a very positive picture. Both are movies I really oughta give myself a refresher with sometime in any case.
@pyromagnestir: Really, the Orphanage? Anything del Toro touches turns to rubbish. The ending to that film was beyond awful...
@grimmrobe: I found the ending to be depressing as hell, myself. Then again, I wasn't in the best condition at the time, emotionally speaking.
@yummylee: Does only one of those movies have Samuel L. Jackson, or do they both? Also I remember even less about Identity, as I don't even remember if I liked it or not.
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