MovieChat Forums > The Horror Show (1989) Discussion > WHICH DO YOU PREFER THIS OR SHOCKER?

WHICH DO YOU PREFER THIS OR SHOCKER?


I actually think this is the best of the house series after the first one.But having a very similar storyline to Wes Craven's Shocker which is better?I don't know I like them both but I think Brion James is a great actor.What do you think Id be interested to know

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The Horror Show is nowhere near as good as Shocker, plus it copied Shocker so much!

And The Horror Show is by far the weakest among all House films

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You mean Shocker copied so much from The Horror Show.

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This, by quite a bit.

As much as I like Mitch Pileggi, I'd say the combination of Brion James and Lance Henriksen alone easily tips the scales in The Horror Show's favor.

Henriksen always gives a great performance and this is no exception. Seriously, I've never seen him coast through any role, no matter what it was. (and I've seen "Savage Dawn" for frig's sake!) :P

Brion James has said this was his favorite role and you can tell he had a good time with it.

Shocker may have had Megadeth, Alice Cooper and Iggy Pop (all of whom I love, Iggy most of all) on the soundtrack, but even that doesn't do a whole lot for it.

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Shocker all the way.



You will pay the price for your lack of vision

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The Horror Show by a pretty wide margin. Shocker never found a good balance between comedy and horror. The finale in particular was just stupid (BEAVER! BEAVER!!) The inconsistent tone kept me from ever getting really into it. On top of that, it was too long for the kind of movie it was.

Shocker also wasn't scary, at least partly because of Mitch Pileggi who wasn't intimidating or memorable enough as some bald guy with a limp. He's a TV sized star and has done strong work on The X Files, Sons of Anarchy, and Supernatural but he was out of his depth here. On the other hand, Brion James was great in The Horror Show, the perfect mix sleaze and strength, like the type of guy that would freak you out if you bumped into him at a bar or, even worse, a dark ally.

And then, obviously, Lance Henriksen alone pushes The Horror Show above Shocker, which was led by the okay but not great Peter Berg. Henriksen does a fantastic job of falling apart throughout the movie.

The Horror Show is also darker and has more startling visuals, although it seems to have been made on a smaller budget, which shows.

Neither is brilliant but The Horror Show is better. Sorry Wes.


S.F.W.

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this one was better.


Liberate tu temet ex inferis.
pro ego sum diabolus, pro ego sum nex.

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[deleted]

Shocker easily. Far from perfect but just more fun and creative than HS. Lance Henriksen is still a badass though.

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I always thought Shocker was a better soundtrack than a movie kind of horror flick. Max was a great role imo. And let's face it Blue Plate Special never meant the same again to anyone who ever saw this flick.

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