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Posted: **Thu Nov 05, 2009 3:02 am**

GORDON wrote:
Malcolm wrote:I don't watch Halloween flicks to feel sorry for the villain.
Then you're lucky.... you can just rewatch horror movies from the '70's and be satisfied forever.

I can't even remember the last mainstream horror flick that was worth seeing. Scream, mabye?

Posted: **Thu Nov 05, 2009 1:41 pm**

I can't even remember the last mainstream horror flick that was worth seeing. Scream, mabye?

Scream was entertaining, but not scary.

Malcolm makes an excellent point. When was the last truly scary horror flick made?

Aren't today's horror films just an endless cascade of trying to over do the gore and "freak show" qualities of the last film?

Look at the big names lately:
Saw - Gore and more drama/thriller than horror.
Cabin Fever - Complete piece of dogshit.
Halloween 1 & 2 - subpar remakes of classics.
Friday the 13th - See above.
Nightmare on Elm Street - Not out yet, but see above.
Cloverfield - vomit inducing camera tricks to cover up the fact that their "Godzilla" wasn't as cool as the original.
Hatchet - Gore and crap.
Night of 1000 Corpses and The Devil's Rejects - Gore and shock, no screams.

I'm sticking to the mainstream stuff only (I put Zombie's stuff in there, but it probably shouldn't be) because there have been some good indy films. Paranormal Activity, which some are calling the scariest film ever, is an indy film.

There is an art to creating a scary horror film. John Carpenter was a master. Setting the proper mood, pacing, lighting, etc. Go back and watch Halloween again and instead of just focusing on the story, pay attention to the music, the shadows, etc. I'd argue that the folks who made parts 4, 5, and 6 were still successful because they stuck with that formula instead of doing what Zombie did.

Carpenter did the same thing in The Thing.

The original Friday the 13th was in the same mold, but lost it's way when they made Jason more of a in your face type of killer. There was no subtlety to him anymore. He would charge groups of people and didn't worry about not being seen.

Michael could hide in plain site. He traveled via shadows. He was patient and smart. He was human, yet completely evil unhindered by remorse or compassion. he was your next door neighbor's kid. He came from a normal family. That's the truly terrifying thing about him.

Zombie and his ilk make entertaining movies (some are), but they don't know true horror. Killers don't have to be deranged or abused.

Fear doesn't arise from something you expect. It comes from the unexpected.

An abused, lower class kid grows up to be a serial killer. Nobody is shocked.

A well educated, middle class kid who had loving parents and stable surroundings becoming an unstoppable killing machine with no remorse or compassion...that's frightening.

Sorry, I'm rambling. I could talk about this topic all day.

Posted: **Thu Nov 05, 2009 3:49 pm**

Leisher wrote:When was the last truly scary horror flick made?

1986

Posted: **Thu Nov 05, 2009 4:36 pm**

I've just added that to my list of movies to see.

Posted: **Thu Nov 05, 2009 5:52 pm**

I think a large part of the issue is yall's ages. I don't know about you, but I watch a horror movie now, and I'm more likely to laugh than ever be afraid. Horror is best as a teen.

Posted: **Thu Nov 05, 2009 6:20 pm**

TheCatt wrote:I think a large part of the issue is yall's ages. I don't know about you, but I watch a horror movie now, and I'm more likely to laugh than ever be afraid. Horror is best as a teen.

Except when you are my age you are mostly hoping the teens in the movie die because they are so annoying.

Posted: **Thu Nov 05, 2009 6:25 pm**

TheCatt wrote:I think a large part of the issue is yall's ages. I don't know about you, but I watch a horror movie now, and I'm more likely to laugh than ever be afraid. Horror is best as a teen.

There just ain't flicks out there genuinely frightening anymore.

Posted: **Thu Nov 05, 2009 6:38 pm**

Personally, I thought Blair Witch was awesome. You never even saw a fucking monster. Not everyone needs a guy in a rubber suit to feel he has been properly served by a horror movie.

And save the criticism... I have heard it before. Box office numbers don't lie, though. There are at least as many people who liked it as hated it.

Posted: **Thu Nov 05, 2009 7:39 pm**

GORDON wrote:Box office numbers don't lie, though.

Star Wars : Episode V : box office gross : $538,375,067
Star Wars : Episode I : box office gross : $924,317,558

So, more people like I than V? You sure they don't lie?

EDIT : & Blair Witch sucked. My student loan payments are scarier.

Edited By Malcolm on 1257467999

Posted: **Thu Nov 05, 2009 9:39 pm**

Are those numbers adjusted for inflation? I have a hard time believing that.

Posted: **Thu Nov 05, 2009 11:08 pm**

GORDON wrote:Are those numbers adjusted for inflation? I have a hard time believing that.

Shall I break out the box office numbers for ... oh, let's say "Transformers 2" & "Silent Hill?"

Posted: **Thu Nov 05, 2009 11:48 pm**

Box Office numbers do lie.

Best example:
Godzilla (the American version) made $100 million the first weekend. Notice there hasn't been a sequel?

I could give you a million examples of good movies that bombed at the box office, and the same number for bad movies that did great.

Blair Witch probably got a bad rap, but that's their own fault. They had a great plan. They made a movie for cheap and marketed it brilliantly. Then they made the mistake of putting it in theaters. That movie doesn't work on the big screen. It's a small screen film. It made cash, yes. However, it hurt the film's image.

Posted: **Thu Nov 05, 2009 11:50 pm**

I saw it in the theater 3 times.

Anyway, I said I've already heard all the criticisms...

Rob Zombie Halloween thread.

Edited By GORDON on 1257483688

Posted: **Fri Nov 06, 2009 1:11 am**

Rob Zombie Halloween thread.

Ok.

He [Michael Myers] was patient and smart. He was human, yet completely evil unhindered by remorse or compassion. he was your next door neighbor's kid. He came from a normal family.

Bang on. The abuse shit sounds like a goddamned excuse. Why the fuck does evil need a reason? Why can't evil just be? Some of the real terror comes from your having no fucking idea what might set an otherwise regular chap off & turn him into a serial killer.

Another problem w\ horror in a flick is that in the back of your mind, you know it's just a film; no one's actually dying. You might be able to use shock/gore/special effects/gimmicks to temporarily make people believe that, but it's not going to work forever. The fright has to come from the brains of the audience. You've got to point their mind down a path so that it fills in the truly scary bits. Everyone's got different fears; granted, there's some common threads that run thru most folk. It takes finesse & thought to tap into those areas in everybody's grey matter. From what I've seen, Rob has the subtlety of a water buffalo.

Edited By Malcolm on 1257487955

Posted: **Fri Nov 06, 2009 11:55 am**

Another problem w\ horror in a flick is that in the back of your mind, you know it's just a film; no one's actually dying. You might be able to use shock/gore/special effects/gimmicks to temporarily make people believe that, but it's not going to work forever. The fright has to come from the brains of the audience. You've got to point their mind down a path so that it fills in the truly scary bits. Everyone's got different fears; granted, there's some common threads that run thru most folk. It takes finesse & thought to tap into those areas in everybody's grey matter. From what I've seen, Rob has the subtlety of a water buffalo.

Damn skippy.

Hack and slash without tension, mood, atmosphere, etc. is not scary. Take Jason X for example. Was it entertaining? Well, it had Jason, cool kills, sci-fi elements, and gratuitous nudity, so yes. However, it wasn't ever remotely scary.

Now take the opening scene of When a Stranger Calls. Terrifying.

Let me give you an image...
You're out for a stroll on a cool autumn night. You hear the snapping of a twig behind you and you spin around. BAM! The next thing you know is you're waking up in a dark room that seems more like a dungeon. The only light is coming from candles. You strain against the straps holding you down, but it's no use. Just then the door creaks open and in walks Rosie O'Donnell. She shuts the door and begins to chat with you about nothing in particular. You're confused, but holding out hope that this is some misunderstanding. That's when Rosie begins to take her panties off. Panic races through your as you wonder what's coming next as Rosie begins to climb the table to hover above you. Every muscle in your body is straining against your restraints as Rosie begins to lower her vagina towards your face.

Now, let me ask you: At any point while imagining yourself in that situation did you think, "I wonder if Rosie acts this way because she was an abused child?"

Posted: **Fri Nov 06, 2009 12:27 pm**

That wouldn't be scary, as I know I am about to choke to death on my own vomit.

In real life.

Posted: **Mon Oct 20, 2014 11:41 pm**

Movie's making the rounds on IFC. Fuck, it's awful.

Posted: **Tue Oct 21, 2014 12:52 pm**

Those movies are the equivalent of a graffiti artist spray painting something over the Mona Lisa.

Posted: **Mon Sep 26, 2016 12:26 am**

John Carpenter isn't a fan.

Posted: **Mon Sep 26, 2016 9:00 am**

Porn title: Hello,ween.

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Rob Zombie to direct next Halloween

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Re: Rob Zombie to direct next Halloween