Beware the diatribe...
I agree with alot of what's been said here. Here are my thoughts:
(1) I guess my biggest problem might be with defining the word "Horror" itself. For me I've never cared for gore. I like something that's creepy, I don't care if it's dark, but I get really tired of the constant pig entrails falling out of people and bloody flesh dripping from the mouths of people or creatures. I especially can't take the sound effects (all that gooshing stuff). I guess I'm a less is more type guy. To me horror is things that SCARE me, not things that completely go over the top ridiculous to overcome a lack of story.
This is why I have the question if horror is dead, because it seems like all the scares are gone and all that is left is the gore. I watched the two sequels to 'Feast' recently, and this is exactly what I'm talking about. The film was nothing but one shocking moment after another. I'm not sure if there is anything left to be scary. So I agree with the stuff you guys said, that story, and strong character development (so we care about the people in peril) are what's important. Not only that but visual storytelling: editing, setting the right tone, and technical prowess are the best ways to pull that off. Also, acting is huge. You have to cast talent, even it means they're not the most attractive people in the world.
That being said here are the movies of the last 5 years that I think have pulled it off fairly well.
(2)
1. '28 Days Later' - This movie was intense. I remember not being able to catch my breath while watching it in the theater. Not only that but it certainly didn't rely on gore. There was gore in it, but it was there to amplify the story, not to make up for a story that was lacking.
2. '1408' - I thought 9/10 of this movie was great. It got a little ridiculous toward the end, but it was an almost entirely enjoyable experience and the scares were there, without it being a gorefest!
3. 'Audition' - Ugh! This one creeps me out! Maybe I can't count this because it wasn't made in the last 5 years, but close enough.
4. 'The Others' - Great aesthetic, and chills.
5. 'The Ring' - Yes, The Ring... I said in my original post to be honest about what was scary, and to me this was scary. It was all about the mood Gore Verbinski set up. I also thought 'The Grudge' was pretty good too. After that, the "J Horror" remake craze just kind of petered out (Thank goodness), but these two, (The Ring especially) were effective. Also, it's probably a cultural thing, but I feel this is better than 'Ringu', the original, because I just laugh when it's an incredibly tense moment and then I hear the words "mushi mushi". Also, the sequel to the American version SUCKED!
Others I enjoyed:
'The Exorcism of Emily Rose' - Not particularly a fan of movies that deal with Satan, but this was profoundly creepy. And for some dumb reason I watched it alone in my room at 2 in the morning.
'Quarantine' - I'm sad to say I haven't seen "[Rec]" so maybe the original is better, but I thought this was very good. Also, I saw it in a theater, which I think is the only place to see horror movies, to realize their full impact.
'The Strangers' - Loved this one. I thought they pulled it off brilliantly. I also thought 'Funny Games' (again I've only seen the American version) did a good job of this as well.
'The Mist' - This one was kind of a downer, but it was still cool. I'm looking forward to 'Cell' also. I'm not however looking forward to Eli Roth directing it.
(3) I think that most horror movies have something fun about them that makes me want to watch them (with the exclusion of Feast 2 and 3 which had nothing I ever want to see again), but unless they get a little smarter, and a little less putrid I'm going to be watching less of them.
Films that did a horrible job:
1. 'Feast 2 and 3'. (Have I mentioned these two yet?) The two biggest things that irked me about these movies...besides everything...was the lack of ANY likable characters! There was NO ONE to root for. Forget the fact that half of them were Gulager's lame wad family members. Then it just became a freak show of one gross event after the other.
2. 'Perkins 14' - Oh goodness. Pacing, and dialogue were the worst thing with this one. Casting was also a huge problem. Is that really supposed to be the lead?
3. The 'Saw' Movies. I just don't care for torture films (porn) at all.
As far as the After Dark Films go, these are the only ones I kind of liked:
'The Hamiltons'
'Mulberry Street'
'Wicked Little Things'
Parts of 'Gravedancers' were good.
'From Within' was pretty good.
So this is what I think. What do you think?
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