Not that you might care, but I'm a big film buff. Love the movies. All types of movies. My favorite though, is horror. When I was five years old, me and my older cousins were left alone, unsupervised by adults, on a cold wintry Saturday night. As my oldest cousin went to sleep, I stayed awake, twisting the old school knob dial changer until I hit the station featuring the "Creature Feature" movie of the week "Night Of The Living Dead". Once the movie started, I was too shook to change to a kindler gentler show. My shit was frightened to the effin core at what took place on the screen. That George Romero black and white zombie masterpiece fucked my head up permanently. What I realized though, was that no matter how horrified I was, there was a certain high, a rush that came with the scares. It was the beginning of my true, never dying love affair with horror films, and I've been trying to recapture my first high ever since. It wasn't cool that the Black dude that played hero died though, still, at least he survived and made it to the end of the movie.
I stay fiending for the perfect horror flick, not the blood fest type ones that focus more on the mad gore and chocolate syrup splattering. Not the stupid ones either, like the ones with the dumb white chicks running, stumbling TOWARDS their attackers or the recent joints of late with a cast of "beautiful" Blonde kids camping out on some deserted, haunted hotel, beach, resort, camp house by the pool with the lake and the hitchhikers and killers with the Scream type masks. Them joints are an insult. Plus, the one Black kid always gets it first.
I'm talking about the joint that, once you watch, once you let the horror that unfolds seep into your psyche, you know for a fact that you'll carry a bit of that horror with you for a long effin time, maybe to the grave even. You know what I'm talking about, "The Exorcist", the first "Halloween", that old school HBO joint "The Hitcher", shit even the original "Psycho". There have been a few classics. Eff'd up thing for horror fiends like myself is that the GREAT horror flicks are mad rare, and sometimes it takes years to catch one worthy of ending up in the DVD blu-ray collection. Last joint I saw that was even semi collector worthy was "The Ring" released back in 2002. No doubt the Asian J or K horror ones stayed mad hot for a while, up until they starting running the same formula into the ground, every one of them having the mandatory dead, cursed, eff'd up looking Japanese girl with the long wet hair hunting that ass down. That shit got played out quick.
Sam Raimi remains one of my favorite movie directors to date. Dude started out back in 1981 with the low budget flick "The Evil Dead". In a nutshell, The Evil Dead was about five college students who came across a haunted book in the woods and inadvertently unleashed all types of fuckery upon themselves. Although low budget, Raimi was able to combine the perfect elements of horror and comedy resulting in the movie becoming a cult horror classic. Raimi followed with two sequels to complete the trilogy, "The Evil Dead II" (1987) which went head to head with it's predecessor in becoming another classic, especially since it wasn't as much a sequel as it was a revamping of the first one with a bigger budget and "Army Of Darkness" (1993) which was wackier than the first two and played out more like a slapstick, horror adventure piece. By the time Raimi completed his "Evil" trilogy however, he was deemed by many to be a master of the genre.
Having locked down the horror game, Raimi decided he would try his hand at full blown action adventure. The result was the 1990 classic "Darkman". "Darkman" jumped out of nowhere and became that instant suburban mall and ghetto banger with Liam Neesom playing the disfigured hero type maniac who wrecked shop in his quest for revenge against the gangsters that made his life a living hell. "Darkman" was so on point in that it played like the perfect comic book movie, even though it wasn't based on any actual comic book characters. With one shot, Raimi proved that he was also on top of his game with the action/adventure genre.
Not one to rest on his laurels with horror and action in his pocket, Raimi's next joint was a flick that further stretched the master storyteller's horizons with the western "The Quick And The Dead" starring Sharon Stone, Gene Hackman, Russell Crowe and Leonardo DiCaprio. In it, Stone played a female gunslinger focused on revenge against Gene Hackman who played the nasty bad man who had wronged her. Although the movie played out like a typical spaghetti western, Raimi won in that he infused the flick with his own quirky, fast paced style. "The Quick And The Dead" satisfied many movie goers who wanted a little western flavor added to their movie going experience.
Raimi churned out two more notable movies, "A Simple Plan" (1998) which was a crime, drama thriller that had a Coen brothers feel and "The Gift" (2000) which was a quiet but well crafted return to his horror roots. After proving, time after time, that he was that go to guy to the Hollywood shot callers, Raimi beat out a host of block buster film makers in landing the holy grail of comic book movies "Spider-Man"(2002). "Spider-Man" was the movie Marvel comics had been trying to make for over 20 years. After the success of "X-Men" (2000) and with Hollywood turning it's eye to comic books as the next cash cow, Raimi was tapped to step to the plate and once on board, he delivered a home run. "Spider-Man 2" (2004) proved to be better than the first and became arguably, one of the best in the comic book movie genre. "Spider-Man 3" wasn't the critically acclaimed piece that the first two were, mainly because now that Raimi proved he was that blockbuster director, the studio allegedly applied mad pressure in having him throw everything and the kitchen sink into the movie in order to guarantee another successful hit. Fans complained about S3 having too many villains, plus that whole cornball black suited emo Spider-Man thingie, nonetheless S3 went on to become a major commercial success.
I go into Sam Raimi's filmography because, as I mentioned above, I am a true fan of this man's craft. I also go in because during the past few years, fans have been begging Raimi to return to his true original love, the horror movie. In addition, Sam has been complaining of late about how he has been aching to return to his roots in order to bless horror fans the world over with a much needed classic, the type shit that might could make one soil their draws. On May 29th, Sam Raimi will be bringing us "Drag Me To Hell". "Drag Me To Hell" is about a young female bank loan officer ambitious in moving up in her career. Feeling she has to prove her gully to her superiors, she shits on an old gypsy woman who practically begs her to be more lenient in extending a grace period in order for the gypsy to avoid foreclosure on her home. Once shitted on, the gypsy woman brings it, in spades. "Drag Me To Hell" was screened at this years South By South West film festival and was met with critical acclaim across the board. I've even been warned to bring an extra pair of clean draws upon my first viewing. The trailer looks like mad shits and giggles. No question, I am psyched. I'm hoping that my fellow horror fans are equally as psyched. May 29th is now looking so effin far way.
So I'm asking, what's yer favorite horror flick?
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Drag Me to Hell looks great.
ReplyDeleteIf you wanna check out some good recent horror, ya gotta go with the awesome European stuff of late:
The Descent
Let the Right One In
Inside
[REC]
The Descent is the shit. Best horror movie of the last ten years or so imo. Let the Right One In is great too but I'm biased since I'm Swedish and it's a Swedish flick.
ReplyDeleteI'd also recommend Let The Right One In, though I found it to be more "sweet" than scary.
ReplyDeletethe trailer for raimis new shit looks crazy... cant believe you didnt mention "the shining" tho for classic horror... def one of my faves
ReplyDelete"I stay fiending for the perfect horror flick, not the blood fest type ones that focus more on the mad gore and chocolate syrup splattering."
ReplyDeleteTrue indeed I'm all for the psychological aspects of horror which is why I loved "Jacob's Ladder". That movie scared the shit outta me. Also (I accept all chuckles) "Candyman" was my shit. Most people pawned it off as some jungle lust shit, but what I thought was ill about that movie is the premise of terror in the projects. For most the PJ's are as isolated as the woods because a lot of shit goes down in those walls that never make it outside of them. So what's not to say there isn't a evil lurker fuckin' up shit?
^ The Descent was cool, especially the way they worked that claustrophobic feel to it. The "monster" mutant thingies did get played out after a while.
ReplyDelete^^ I'ma have to check "Let The Right one In", real catchy title.
^^^My bad, major PU~ for not mentioning "The Shining", arguably the G.O.A.T.of horror flicks.
^^^^ No jokes for "Candyman", that one is a certified banger, pj's or not.
The ONE movie I own and refuse to watch again, even though it might not really fall into the "horror" genre, is the original "Funny Games". That piece is so effin brutal it might as well be classified as horror. "Irreversible" too.
I did feel last years "The Strangers", even though it was panned by the critics.
"The Changeling" from the 1970's?
I'll fourth "Let the Right One In" - such an awesome original take on the vampire flick.
ReplyDelete"28 Days Later" is classic to me.
Another good (not great) recent one is "Slither," even though it kinda riffs on "Night of the Creeps."
yo u read my mind with this one. Night of the Living Dead made me just a lil insane when I was 11. I had seen Jason halloween nightmare hellraiser basketcase creepshow the howling...all that bullshit but when i saw night i was buggin. Evil Dead is the best horror movie of al time and i got darkman on vhs....peep From Beyond by lovecraft...its classic. peace
ReplyDeleteLast House on the Left
ReplyDeleteHere's a couple of good ones (both foreign, hopefully you won't mind...). Not straight up horror, but def fucked up in their own right.
ReplyDeleteAntibodies (German, I think)
Audition (Japan)
Peace.
Audition is in the collection, mos def horror.
ReplyDeleteHeard about Antibodies, gotta peep that.
Never heard of the Peace joint.
great post,would like to hear more of your opinions on flicks.
ReplyDeletecan't wait for the new raimi,ish is needed to show these new fools how to direct a horror film.
gotta cosine let the right one in.
what did u think about the last house on the left remake?
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ReplyDelete^Thanx. Didn't see Last house, how was it? One remake I really dug was "The Hills Have Eyes'. Whose effin with the original "Funny Games"? Technically not horror, but very horrifying. Haven't re-watched it since my first viewing back when I bought it in '99.
ReplyDeleteSame director of the original Funny Games(Haneke) did the remake. A good job, but pretty redundant.
ReplyDeleteSpeaking of brutal, the film that trumps them all is August Underground Mordum. Keep that one well hid from family and peers.
^Not vouching for it - just saying, once seen it can't be unseen.
ReplyDeleteIt builds on the nastiness of the Guinea Pig films of the '80s'.
Personally, I prefer my horror with a bit more substance, though gut-level brutality can work from time-to-time.
If yr a horror buff, you should check out this site I'm involved with -
http://www.digital-retribution.com/forum/index.php
'Funny Games' is some madness! Saw that and was like what the fuck!!! Aint seen the re-make tho, can imagine it'll be swag tho
ReplyDeleteThe first 'Phantasm'+ 'House' films scared me shitless as a kid, but they're kinda funny now
One that freaked me out hard even as an adult was this 60's film called 'Peeping Tom', you need to check this out if you can find it
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peeping_Tom_(film)
also, one of my all time favourites was 'The Wicker man' http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Wicker_Man_(1973_film)
The Nic cage remake was terrible, but the original is heavy, very strange and reminds me so much of some little islands in the UK i went to visiting family...didnt wanna get stuck in a pub on my own over there hahaha
heavy blog bruv, just found it yesterday, really enjoy it
I think the monsters were kind of besides the point in "Descent" and that's what made it great, the people were the monsters in a concise simplified estimation. I love "Audition" for genre bending, but if we're talking "Funny Games" style rawness and brutality I would heavily recommend Peckinpah's "Straw Dogs" with Dustin Hoffman in his prime. Everyone talks about the rape scene but that is a truly fucked the fuck up movie through and through. You probably wouldn't get a "Funny Games", "Man Bites Dog", "History of Violence" or mad movies since without it.
ReplyDeleteI really love American Psycho but is that horror? Def not in th e traditional sense but it is a very chiling profile of a mass murderer and the way they play out the final scene (i think he did it and got away) with Batemans final monolouge scares the shit out of me.
ReplyDeleteStraw Dogs = Classic
ReplyDeleteMan Bites Dog = Pure Hillarity
History Of Violence = Gully
Point well taken re: Descent
Leprachaun: Back 2 Tha Hood ....anyone?
ReplyDeleteI still LOVE 13 Ghosts...and it had Rah Digga as the Black "superstar" you can't merc.
ReplyDeleteDog Soldiers!!!
ReplyDeleteI like a little french movie called "Inside" that came out last year. Probably the most intense film I've seen in years. I fire it up every now and again, just to watch my friends squirm and freak the fuck out. Just don't watch it with anyone that's pregnant or expecting.
ReplyDelete^ Got it re: "Inside".
ReplyDeleteWombats are probably the most amazing beasts in the world. Off topic slightly.
ReplyDeleteAll of the House movies bugged me the fuck out back in the day. The original Chuckie film as well. Scary little sod.
What about Children of the Corn (no Killa)???
There was this one horror joint with a baby, a dog and a tree and it had me pissing blood for a week I was so shit scared. Fucked if I can remember the name of it but if you see a little number with a tree that's got arms a pissed off dog and an unfortunate baby, that's the one.
Hey you gotta check out the french horror movie Frontier(s) that one is sick!
ReplyDeletenot my fav horror flick but i was watching the original "the last house on the left" the other day and i couldn't help but notice how chill the music was. i was diggin it too much maybe.
ReplyDelete"henry" is another horror type flick i remember that left an impression, mostly because the people i was chillin with when i saw it thought i was a creep for picking it.
ReplyDeleteRE: ENGLAND REPRESENT
ReplyDeleteThe movie you are talking about is called The Guardian. Not William Freidken's finest hour, but a fun time indeed. I remember getting in trouble because me and some christian, home-schooled pussy snuck into that flick when his parents bought us tix for a kidsr film. He felt so bent up and guilty for witnessing (and i imagine liking) the unprecedented amount of TNA and gore that we witnessed that he told on us himself. My parents laughed it off. He got his ass kicked (and probably molested).
Yeah, Henry is a hard one to wash off. If you're into feeling scuzzy and wanting to kill yourself, there is a movie called "Clean Shaven". It will really kick your fucking trash in. It's got some of the best editing (courtesy of Jay Rabinowitz) and sound design ever. I had the misfortune of picking this out as a first-date movie. That broad never uttered another word to me in my life.
ReplyDeleteI thought I had posted a comment here yesterday after my reply on the Twitter.
ReplyDeleteOG Alien is that perfect storm of sci-fi and horror that I need in my life.
Repulsion, if I had to choose one.
ReplyDeleteKwaidan (1964), Picnic at Hanging Rock (1975), the Drop of Water segment of Black Sabbath (1963), Onibaba (1964) Angst (1983), Tenebre (1982), Suspiria (1977), The Vanishing (1988), The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974), The Thing (1982), and so many more movies I can't possibly recall them all. Cronenberg, Fulci, Noé -- on and on and on.
The world of movies is so large; there's always another wonderful movie out there that I haven't seen.
Also, The Changeling is overrated. Unfortunately, it falls into that familiar trap of letting an unsettling ghost story devolve into a fairly dull detective story in which an erstwhile threatening supernatural presence helpfully leaves clues for a dutifully obsessed investigator, eventually resulting in the uncovering of some terrible crime from the distant past.
Best new horror movie is this Swedish one called Let The Right One In. Came out last year and was incredible.
ReplyDeleteCan't believe "Irreversible" got metioned. Now that is a movie that will make u uncomfortable as all hell.
ReplyDeleteIf were talkin older flicks that will make u cring gotta throw out "I Spit On Your Grave" and "Night Train Murders"..Those are some quality date night movies
PS this new Raimi movie looks sick
ReplyDeleteI am going to take some of these suggestions. I love scary movies, but not gore, so I have to pick and choose. Still can't bring myself to watch Audition because I've heard too many things about it :-/
ReplyDeleteMaybe not straight horror, but I love Rosemary's Baby, it's the perfect thriller.
ReplyDeleteWolf Creek
ReplyDelete^^^^^^^^^^^
ReplyDeleteI jst watched "Let The Right One In". It was a pretty cool lil vampire tale, but nothing really scary about it.
gotta go with the thing and night of the creeps.
ReplyDeleteOh shit, "The em effin Thing". Can't forget about that. "Night Of The Creeps" has been in the queue for a while, gotta check it.
ReplyDeleteAnything by Takashi Miike will blow your mind!
ReplyDeleteMost of them are abstract Yakuza movies but the torture scenes are more brutal than any horror movie I've seen.
^ I find Takashi Miikes stuff a real mixed bag.
ReplyDeleteWinners -
Audition
Ichi The Killer
Imprint (his Masters of Horror segment)
Visitor Q
A lot of his other stuff...not so much
Very late pass!
ReplyDeleteHow could y'all leave out The Omen? From the music, to the starting credits (Damina's shadow being a cross), to the nurse, to the ending, this movie still brings chills to my spine. True I saw it as kid and made maaad nightmares about it.
Nobody mentioned "The Darkness" from Jaime Belaguero who also directed "Fragile with the Ally Mc Beal chick. The Darkness is the first movie in a long time that left me with cold fear. Strangely, when I saw it for the second time, it did not impress me that much but give it a chance.
Honorable mention to that "Emily Rose" jacking of the Exorcist concept, only because it was sooo unexpected, staring as a trial and all. On the real, you had mad niccas leaving the theater during the movie on some "I just can't take it anymore" shit!
Excuse the english...
I remember seeing the original Dawn of the Dead at the Kenmore Theatre in Brooklyn. I must've been around 10 years old catching the last show with my friends. Coming out of that movie, at that time of night and seeing the small graveyard right across the street just increased the shock value. I think I had nightmares for at least a month. Good times.
ReplyDelete