Slant Magazine's 100 Greatest Horror Films Of All Time
11-04-13, 03:25 PM
#101
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Re: Slant Magazine's 100 Greatest Horror Films Of All Time
11-04-13, 04:12 PM
#103
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Re: Slant Magazine's 100 Greatest Horror Films Of All Time
I thought Insidious, The Conjuring, and Insidious 2 were all great. I hated Saw so I think he's grown a lot as a filmmaker. I think Horror is a fairly subjective genre, like comedy. What one person finds scary may put another person to sleep. 
11-04-13, 04:20 PM
#104
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Re: Slant Magazine's 100 Greatest Horror Films Of All Time
Insidious has a great premise and a good first hour, but the ending was a total carnival - throw in the kitchen sink filmmaking overkill - it just made my eyes rolls into the back of my head.
11-04-13, 04:28 PM
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11-04-13, 04:59 PM
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11-04-13, 05:01 PM
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Re: Slant Magazine's 100 Greatest Horror Films Of All Time
Sorry, I shouldn't have written "in fact". I just feel very strongly about The Exorcist being not scary. I know many people love the film and find it terrifying, and I don't wish to gainsay their very real feelings.
Excluding Spoorlos (The Vanishing), which I feel is not horror but would be #1 if it were, my top three are not very surprising:
1. Black Christmas (1974) 10/10 - It's not without small flaws, namely the otiose comedic sidelines involving the boozing housemother and the inept cop, but no other horror film is as downright atmospheric. One can feel every bone-chilling shiver of the wintry cold outside and the contrasting woozy comfort of the fireplace-warmed house...where the killer lurks. Reg Morris's panning, dollying, zooming, slinking camerawork is virtuosic, and Carl Zittrer's foreboding rumble of a piano score is one of the very best in horror.
2. Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974) 9.5/10 - It's also not perfect: I feel the opening hitchhiker scene is too protracted, and so is the manic closing dinner scene, but there's so much gritty, grimy greatness throughout, it's hard to complain. The very beginning, with the radio news report, abrupt photo flash-cuts to rotting effluvia accompanied by disturbing discordant music tones, and the credits sequence of solar flares set to Hooper's phenomenal music, is nothing short of masterful.
The film's strongest section is almost irrefutably its extended middle, when the youngsters, having arrived at their relatives' dilapidated farmhouse, head out unawares in pairs to the charnel house nearby looking for help, only to be grotesquely despatched. Then, as night falls, Sally and her invalid brother, Franklin, are on their own, calling out frantically to their friends, with Leatherface and his fuming chainsaw prowling nearby. The chase sequence with Sally seeing Franklin slaughtered, running to the house and upstairs only to face cadaverous Grandma and Grandpa, jumping from the second floor, running injured, and finally ending up at Jim Siedow's gas station/meat-smoker, is in the running for best single passage in the horror canon.
3. Halloween (1978) 9.5/10 - I consider this the scariest movie I have seen in terms of the number and quality of jump-scares and the generation of dread. Dean Cundey's cinematography cannot go unrecognized, nor can Carpenter's iconic music and terrifying sound effects.
I would prefer not to do a runners-up list, though there are so many great horror films, especially much lesser-known ones, that are in the same league as the above and deserve a mention.
Excluding Spoorlos (The Vanishing), which I feel is not horror but would be #1 if it were, my top three are not very surprising:
1. Black Christmas (1974) 10/10 - It's not without small flaws, namely the otiose comedic sidelines involving the boozing housemother and the inept cop, but no other horror film is as downright atmospheric. One can feel every bone-chilling shiver of the wintry cold outside and the contrasting woozy comfort of the fireplace-warmed house...where the killer lurks. Reg Morris's panning, dollying, zooming, slinking camerawork is virtuosic, and Carl Zittrer's foreboding rumble of a piano score is one of the very best in horror.
2. Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974) 9.5/10 - It's also not perfect: I feel the opening hitchhiker scene is too protracted, and so is the manic closing dinner scene, but there's so much gritty, grimy greatness throughout, it's hard to complain. The very beginning, with the radio news report, abrupt photo flash-cuts to rotting effluvia accompanied by disturbing discordant music tones, and the credits sequence of solar flares set to Hooper's phenomenal music, is nothing short of masterful.
The film's strongest section is almost irrefutably its extended middle, when the youngsters, having arrived at their relatives' dilapidated farmhouse, head out unawares in pairs to the charnel house nearby looking for help, only to be grotesquely despatched. Then, as night falls, Sally and her invalid brother, Franklin, are on their own, calling out frantically to their friends, with Leatherface and his fuming chainsaw prowling nearby. The chase sequence with Sally seeing Franklin slaughtered, running to the house and upstairs only to face cadaverous Grandma and Grandpa, jumping from the second floor, running injured, and finally ending up at Jim Siedow's gas station/meat-smoker, is in the running for best single passage in the horror canon.
3. Halloween (1978) 9.5/10 - I consider this the scariest movie I have seen in terms of the number and quality of jump-scares and the generation of dread. Dean Cundey's cinematography cannot go unrecognized, nor can Carpenter's iconic music and terrifying sound effects.
I would prefer not to do a runners-up list, though there are so many great horror films, especially much lesser-known ones, that are in the same league as the above and deserve a mention.
Box-office says the majority of the world likes The Exorcist more than your 3 picks. Your picks is like you trying to tell me William Shatner, Telly Savalas and Tupac are better actors than Marlon Brando.
11-04-13, 05:43 PM
#108
Re: Slant Magazine's 100 Greatest Horror Films Of All Time
Same here. I like most of the actors involved, but thought the finished product was thoroughly mediocre -- like a bad direct to cable movie aimed at the "Ghost Hunters" crowd. I guess I was expecting something far more frightening given the positive reviews and box office. The climax was eye-rollingly silly for a film advertised as "inspired by actual events". Probably didn't help that I was familiar with Ed and Lorraine Warren from the Amityville case and consider them bullshit artists of the first order. I thought Insidious was a much more effective horror movie.
11-04-13, 06:09 PM
#109
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Re: Slant Magazine's 100 Greatest Horror Films Of All Time
While I really liked both Insidious and The Conjuring I can see why others wouldn't care for them. Like DaveyJoe said a few posts above, horror films are extremely subjective. What gets to the psyche of one person might not affect another person at all. To me, haunted houses/ghost/possession movies are far scarier than a slasher or monster movie.
11-04-13, 06:11 PM
#110
DVD Talk Legend
Re: Slant Magazine's 100 Greatest Horror Films Of All Time
If people were trying to capitalize on Blair Witch's success, they would have rolled out those movies in late '99, 2000 at the latest. There is never a delay when they're trying to rip off a successful movie, especially with something as cost-efficient as found footage. Tying found footage films like Paranormal Activity et al into The Blair Witch Project would be like a world where there was no slasher film craze in the early 80s, then Friday the 13th finally comes out in like 1987, and people would say "oh, it's just a ripoff of Halloween".
11-04-13, 07:21 PM
#111
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Re: Slant Magazine's 100 Greatest Horror Films Of All Time
OK, well I'm sure I'm grateful to have you here to set me straight, vw hopelez.
11-04-13, 07:52 PM
#112
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Re: Slant Magazine's 100 Greatest Horror Films Of All Time
Of all people to come to the defense of The Exorcist...it's the lopez.
Norm, I'm sorry I brought it up.
Nice top three BTW and a good summation.
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre is my favorite horror film....followed of course by The Exorcist.
11-04-13, 08:21 PM
#113
DVD Talk Legend
Re: Slant Magazine's 100 Greatest Horror Films Of All Time
The lopez may be one of DVDTalk's resident jokes, but he/she did cause me to give pause in stating my opinion as fact. One should never do that, and I usually don't. Art is so utterly subjective.Good to see another fan of TCM, and if you have The Exorcist as #2, I can certainly respect that.
11-05-13, 12:04 AM
#114
Senior Member
Re: Slant Magazine's 100 Greatest Horror Films Of All Time
as far as horror films go, Insidious may be one of the largest pieces of shit i've ever sat through... twice.
The Conjuring actually looks good though. it seems to take itself a little more seriously. i'll probably watch it real soon.
The Conjuring actually looks good though. it seems to take itself a little more seriously. i'll probably watch it real soon.
11-05-13, 12:49 AM
#115
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Re: Slant Magazine's 100 Greatest Horror Films Of All Time
I remember seeing a beat up 16mm print of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre on Halloween night with a crowd full of college kids. One of the better film-going experiences of my life.
11-05-13, 10:04 AM
#116
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Re: Slant Magazine's 100 Greatest Horror Films Of All Time
Because I didn't hate you enough, just in this thread?! I did finally get to see it on the big screen at a midnight show in a college town the week before Halloween, I was pretty jazzed. The experience itself was fun, but they were just projecting it off of a DVD, it didn't look great. Was disappointed as hell. Was kind of cool to have intelligent people to talk to though, kindred spirits. Was TCM shot on 16mm? Was is its OAR?
11-05-13, 10:18 AM
#118
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11-05-13, 04:05 PM
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11-10-13, 09:42 PM
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Re: Slant Magazine's 100 Greatest Horror Films Of All Time
About a third of these aren't even "horror films." They are thrillers which have scary/intense moments.
I don't even consider "slasher" films like TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE to be "horror." "Terror" films, yes. The horror genre to me includes truly supernatural elements, or monsters that do not fall into the science-fiction genre (DRACULA, etc.).
If they'd stop arbitrarily throwing non-horror films into these lists, it would open up a lot more slots for the legitimate ones.
Anyway, everyone here probably has a slightly different idea of what constitutes "horror" and what does and does not belong on this list, and my opinions are no more correct than anyone else's.
I don't even consider "slasher" films like TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE to be "horror." "Terror" films, yes. The horror genre to me includes truly supernatural elements, or monsters that do not fall into the science-fiction genre (DRACULA, etc.).
If they'd stop arbitrarily throwing non-horror films into these lists, it would open up a lot more slots for the legitimate ones.
Anyway, everyone here probably has a slightly different idea of what constitutes "horror" and what does and does not belong on this list, and my opinions are no more correct than anyone else's.
11-10-13, 10:18 PM
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Re: Slant Magazine's 100 Greatest Horror Films Of All Time
What about Salem's Lot?
The window pecking scene and the glowing eyes in the teachers guest room.
Both scenes use to scary me as a kid.
The window pecking scene and the glowing eyes in the teachers guest room.
Both scenes use to scary me as a kid.
11-10-13, 11:00 PM
#123
DVD Talk Legend
Re: Slant Magazine's 100 Greatest Horror Films Of All Time
I guess everyone embraces slightly different definitions, but I suspect you're going to find very few people who agree with your contention that T.C.M. is not a horror film. I've never heard of horror requiring the supernatural.
11-11-13, 08:18 AM
#124
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Re: Slant Magazine's 100 Greatest Horror Films Of All Time
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horror_film
Horror is a film genre seeking to elicit a negative emotional reaction from viewers by playing on the audience's primal fears. Horror films often feature scenes that startle the viewer; the macabre and the supernatural are frequent themes. Thus they may overlap with the fantasy, supernatural, and thriller genres.
Horror films often deal with the viewer's nightmares, hidden fears, revulsions and terror of the unknown. Plots within the horror genre often involve the intrusion of an evil force, event, or personage, commonly of supernatural origin, into the everyday world. Prevalent elements include ghosts, vampires, werewolves, demons, vicious animals, monsters, zombies, cannibals, and serial killers. Conversely, movies about the supernatural are not necessarily always horrific.
Horror is a film genre seeking to elicit a negative emotional reaction from viewers by playing on the audience's primal fears. Horror films often feature scenes that startle the viewer; the macabre and the supernatural are frequent themes. Thus they may overlap with the fantasy, supernatural, and thriller genres.
Horror films often deal with the viewer's nightmares, hidden fears, revulsions and terror of the unknown. Plots within the horror genre often involve the intrusion of an evil force, event, or personage, commonly of supernatural origin, into the everyday world. Prevalent elements include ghosts, vampires, werewolves, demons, vicious animals, monsters, zombies, cannibals, and serial killers. Conversely, movies about the supernatural are not necessarily always horrific.
11-11-13, 08:35 AM
#125
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Re: Slant Magazine's 100 Greatest Horror Films Of All Time
You're right. Your opinion of what constitutes as horror is more wrong. By thinking that horror requires only the supernatural, you close yourself off. I get that everyone is entitled to their own opinion but there is a general understanding that horror can encompass slasher, supernatural, thriller, sci-fi, etc. There's opinion and then there's just flat out denying the definition of horror.