Best Ever Horror Films [Poll][Cut] - Games

CA Dreamin

Gender: Male
Location: LA

StreetSpirit wrote:

What is an actual horror film?

badseed wrote:

Perhaps Jaws and Jurassic Park are horror films, but since they're not filmed in a gothic style of any sort they certainly don't seem to define the genre even though they're better than most horror films. Same with Silence of the Lambs and Seven - very commercial looking, accessible, non scary filmmaking style. Also I should point out that the main character in both of those films is neither the killer nor the person being stalked by the killer, which is very non horror-ish in my opinion.

These are good points. Horror has a distinct style of cinematography. And I agree a POV of the hunter and/or the hunted is a key element of the genre. I think Jaws and Psycho certainly are horror at some points, just plain thriller at others. But they have enough horror elements to earn the label. But Jurassic Park, Se7en, and Silence of the Lambs...not horror.

badseed

Gender: Male
Age: 35
Location: FL

I certainly never questioned horror comedy. There will be quite a few on mine, although with the immense internet popularity of some of them and this forum's general preference to comedy I'm hoping they don't completely dominate.

Spoiler alert: Italy probably will take up 20% of my list. I'm including a fair bit of giallo.

Don't y'all forget to include your favorite anthology horror film. Be it Tales from the Crypt or Tales from the Hood, Campfire Tales or... Campfire Tales.. we gotta rep some multi-story horror films.

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badseed wrote:

I certainly never questioned horror comedy. There will be quite a few on mine, although with the immense internet popularity of some of them and this forum's general preference to comedy I'm hoping they don't completely dominate.

Spoiler alert: Italy probably will take up 20% of my list. I'm including a fair bit of giallo.

Don't y'all forget to include your favorite anthology horror film. Be it Tales from the Crypt or Tales from the Hood, Campfire Tales or... Campfire Tales.. we gotta rep some multi-story horror films.

From the crypt and from the hood are both absurdly underrated (with the latter have one of the most baller soundtracks ever)

benpaco
Who's gonna watch you die?

Age: 27
Location: California

Dunno if y'all have seen the modern horror comedy anthology Holidays but it's on netflix and one of the most inconsistent projects I've ever seen. Basic idea is it's a horror short film for each major holiday of the year, and some of them are good and spoopy (Easter especially), some are atmospherically well done (Father's Day especially), some are good horror comedy (St Patrick's Day especially, though Seth Green's Christmas one is pretty good), some are just bad though (Mother's Day and Halloween both felt like alright ideas that just didn't go anywhere)

I'd say worth a watch, the Easter one features one of my favorite costumes ever in any movie, and some of them are legitimately good, just don't expect a 10/10 movie by any means.
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. . . 2016 . . . 2015 . . .

Things I Make

Allabaster

My requirements for a horror film:

1. Must commit to fear and/or tension - A few horrifying moments in an adventure film (like, say, Indiana Jones) do not a horror film make. Also note that revulsion, disgust, and moral outrage often accompany fear, but are not equivalent to it (so Salò is not a horror film).

2. The object of my fear must be plainly realized in the film - If the film centers around someone being stalked by a killer, but we never see any murders or other horrifying acts, it's a thriller.

3. The "horrors" must be well outside the realm of ordinary experience. - Usually this is in the form of the supernatural, but real-world extremes like serial killers qualify as well. War films, while often horrifying, depict normal human behavior (sadly) and therefore seldom qualify as horror films.

Examples:

Scary Movie - Not a horror film. It tries to make me laugh (and succeeds), but doesn't make a serious attempt to scare me.

Shaun of the Dead - Is a horror film (horror comedy, to be precise). It may make you laugh, but it also commits to the fear elements in the story.

Jaws - Is a horror film. An iconic one, no less. Mainstream appeal does not exclude a film from being horror. We see the shark tear people to pieces on several occasions and it's clearly way beyond anything ordinary (or even natural).

Silence of the Lambs - Is a horror film. There is definitely a crime drama aspect as well, but I think the horror elements are what distinguish it. Hannibal Lecter is a horror in of himself and his twisted psyche is fully realized on the screen.

Seven - Not a horror film. Admittedly, it has been a while since I saw it, but I remember most of the horrifying acts being committed offscreen and the killer's demented mind being more of a vehicle for the plot than the centerpiece of it.

Jurassic Park - Both an adventure and a horror film. This Ian Malcolm quote from Lost World sums it up well: "Oh, yeah. Oooh, ahhh, that's how it always starts. Then later there's running and um, screaming."

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Allabaster wrote:

2. The object of my fear must be plainly realized in the film - If the film centers around someone being stalked by a killer, but we never see any murders or other horrifying acts, it's a thriller.

strongly disagree. Some of the most potent fear can come purely from tense anticipation. It's the very soul of more than a few psychological and/or surreal horrors.

Hitchcock wrote:

There is no terror in the bang, only in the anticipation of it.

Allabaster wrote:

3. The "horrors" must be well outside the realm of ordinary experience. - Usually this is in the form of the supernatural, but real-world extremes like serial killers qualify as well. War films, while often horrifying, depict normal human behavior (sadly) and therefore seldom qualify as horror films.

also not quite sure I agree with this. While I can't right now think of any examples of normal everyday things being portrayed in a strictly horror context, I feel like horror is more defined by how the artist(s) behind the work choose to articulate the subject rather than the actual literal nature thereof. A good director can most certainly make the mundane appear horrific, just as a one can make the normally terrifying appear comical.

Allabaster

dividesbyzero wrote:

strongly disagree. Some of the most potent fear can come purely from tense anticipation.

I agree. Some thrillers can be very scary, but that does not make them horror films. Indeed, you quoted Hitchcock, who worked almost exclusively with thrillers.

Quote:

It's the very soul of more than a few psychological and/or surreal horrors.

Psychological horror is not about the viewer's mental state, but the character's. One of the great horrors in literature is the breakdown of the narrator in The Tell-Tale Heart.

Quote:

A good director can most certainly make the mundane appear horrific, just as a one can make the normally terrifying appear comical.

While one can be scared of a great many things, I do not see them as "horrors" unless they stretch the bounds of what we think is possible or likely.

Hayden

Aight, for the sake of this poll and for the sake of wanting to watch some good movie recommendations, let's keep the genre definition to a minimum Laughing

Don't be stupid and include obvious non-horror films, and we'll be fine. Someone puts Paul Blart on there list, it won't make the cut, but if someone puts Black Swan on their list, then meh... sure, it'll slide. We're aiming for horror here, but as long as it's in the wheelhouse, let's not complain too much.

That being said, I'm hoping to not see Se7en on any lists Think

I've never even remotely considered it a horror film. It's definitely a crime drama.
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Allabaster

I do not mind whatever people put on their lists or what the rules are. I find the discussion of the genre very interesting and would be disappointed to see people stop talking about it.

Hayden

Allabaster wrote:

I do not mind whatever people put on their lists or what the rules are. I find the discussion of the genre very interesting and would be disappointed to see people stop talking about it.

Yeah, I'm all up for that of course Smile

You're post had a lot of interesting stances that I agreed with, without a doubt. It's just tat I want this to go as smoothly as possible Laughing

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